State champs face rebuilding year
There are some big shoes to fill in Lake Zurich.
For the past two seasons, the Bears have been one of the dominant Class 7A teams in the state with two trips to the championship game in Champaign -- including last year's 7-3 state title victory over Wheaton-Warrenville South.
If Lake Zurich wants to make its three straight appearance at Memorial Stadium, the Bears are going to have to reload with several new, albeit talented faces.
"With positive contributions from newcomers and leadership from returners, we have a chance to be very competitive," said Lake Zurich coach Bryan Stortz, who has compiled an impressive 25-3 record in three seasons at the helm.
Lake Zurich should have another stingy defense, as the Bears allowed only 7.4 points per game last season.
Senior defensive lineman John Brewer, Franko Nava and Tony Pecho should anchor the defense up front, while linebacker Wade Self also returns. Brewer finished with 45 solo tackles last season, including 13 tackles for losses.
Other seniors who should help defensively include defensive lineman Willy Blechschmidt and linebackers Aaron Lewandowski and Tommy Flaherty.
Lake Zurich will have to replace numerous playmakers on offense -- including backs Jon Janus and Adam Simpson and quarterback Bobby DeLeo .
Senior Tanner Witt, DeLeo's backup last season, should take over as the Bears' quarterback, with seniors Kyle Williams and Andrew Maloney trying to make a name for themselves in the offensive backfield of Lake Zurich's spread wing-T offense.
Defending their North Suburban Conference Lake Division title should also be a tough task for the Bears, who posted a perfect 6-0 record in the league last season.
Warren, Stevenson and Libertyville are poised to give Lake Zurich a run for the top spot in 2008.
Still, if the Lake Zurich players have shown anything in the last two years, it's that they know what it takes to be very successful at the varsity level.
As a result, don't be surprised if they're near the top again this fall.
