Richards’ Noah Escobedo knows you just don’t show up for a game and throw for 300 yards. There’s a lot more that goes into it — much of it generally behind the scenes. “What goes on in the dark comes to light,” Escobedo said. “I worked with my trainers at QB Era. I was on the field a lot with my receivers during the offseason. I was working on ball placement and footwork. “You … [Read more...] about Feeding off experience, Noah Escobedo revs up Richards for wild win over Crete-Monee. ‘Build up that process.’
Hank Beatty puts on a show with a punt-return TD and big catch in No. 12 Illinois’ season-opening rout
CHAMPAIGN — Hank Beatty had 10 yards to go to reach the end zone Friday night at Memorial Stadium. The Illinois senior already had caught a Western Illinois punt on the left sideline, raced in a curve across the field to the right sideline and ran 59 yards forward. He wasn’t going to be stopped until he reached the orange end-zone turf. So he lowered his shoulder into WIU … [Read more...] about Hank Beatty puts on a show with a punt-return TD and big catch in No. 12 Illinois’ season-opening rout
North Dakota commit Tyler Zdon ‘wants to be the best he can be.’ He couldn’t be much better in Grant’s opener.
The on-field product is pretty obvious for Grant senior running back Tyler Zdon. The 5-foot-9, 195-pound North Dakota commit has gotten into the habit of spending Friday nights gleefully avoiding oncoming defenders. What fans see under the lights, however, wouldn’t look so simple without Zdon’s expansive amount of work behind the scenes. “He’s got the natural ability, but when … [Read more...] about North Dakota commit Tyler Zdon ‘wants to be the best he can be.’ He couldn’t be much better in Grant’s opener.
Building on catch, Brandon Johnson runs in winning TD for St. Rita with 13 seconds left. ‘Had to make a play.’
St. Rita’s Brandon Johnson Jr. kept his poise, even as everything around him turned to chaos. The junior running back stayed alert and saw senior quarterback Steven Armbruster under duress. Instincts took over at that exact moment, building the bridge for a bigger performance. “I knew I had to make a play,” Johnson said. “The pass broke down and turned into a scramble drill. I … [Read more...] about Building on catch, Brandon Johnson runs in winning TD for St. Rita with 13 seconds left. ‘Had to make a play.’
Neuqua Valley’s Colton Maita knows adversity. Elbow surgery. Back fractures. New position. Nothing stops him.
This was supposed to be the season when Colton Maita finally realized his dream of becoming Neuqua Valley’s starting quarterback. Two years ago, Maita was the starting quarterback for the sophomore team, so he thought he had a good shot at getting the varsity job as a junior. That plan was derailed when he suffered a serious injury while playing baseball in spring 2024. “I … [Read more...] about Neuqua Valley’s Colton Maita knows adversity. Elbow surgery. Back fractures. New position. Nothing stops him.