Two late-season wins returned the Wildcats (5-5) to the playoffs for the first time since the 2008 season, but they lost in the first round.
In the first round, the Cats faced powerhouse Rockford Boylan (9-0) and lost 40-0. The run game, which was very important all year, was ineffective. The leading rusher was sophomore Conor Simpson who ran for 25 yards on 16 carries. Junior quarterback Jack Deichl threw for 155 yards but also threw an interception. The defense was led by senior defensive end Luke Mathewson who had eight tackles; junior linebackers Joey Salata had seven and Drew Krinitsky had six tackles.
The homecoming game against Warren was a key game for Libertyville because it was the win that ultimately clinched the playoff berth. The Wildcats won, 38-6, led by the running game and the defense. Simpson and Deichl both had two touchdowns. Simpson had 115 yards rushing on 23 touches, and Deichl had 27 yards on 14 carries. On defense, Salata had two interceptions, a fumble recovery, and two tackles. Also, junior Kevin Verkler had an interception and three tackles.
The running game was very important to the Wildcats winning games this season. Libertyville averaged 169.6 yards rushing in wins and 57.2 yards per loss this year. Salata had three rushing touchdowns, Deichl had two, and senior Hutch Herchenbach and junior Brian Swift each had one touchdown on the ground.
Salata finished with 227 yards rushing on 74 carries. Swift ran for 488 yards on 70 carries. Simpson had 206 yards rushing on 58 carries, all in the last four games of the season.
The quarterbacks were senior Hutch Herchenbach and junior Jack Deichl. Herchenbach threw for 310 yards and two touchdowns (three interceptions) in the five games. Deichl passed for 721 yards and five touchdowns (four interceptions) in the last six games of the year.
Libertyville had a very even receiving core, with seven wideouts catching a double digit number of passes. Five receivers broke into the end zone, and they combined for seven total touchdowns. Junior Austin Williams led the pack with 213 yards on 16 receptions and had two touchdowns. Seniors Max Ebert and Sam Styler also had very good years. Ebert was the only other receiver with two touchdowns (95 yards on 10 receptions) and Styler caught 15 passes for 175 yards (one touchdown).
On defense, turnovers were the big difference. The Cats forced 15 turnovers in five wins and only one in the four losses. Salata and Mathewson tied for the most turnovers: each had four and also had two forced fumbles.
Drew Krinitsky led the team with 48 tackles, and he had two sacks to go along with that. Krinitsky had nine tackles for losses this season and the next closest player in that category was senior defensive end Michael Parker with four. Parker led the team with eight of the team’s 17 sacks and was the only LHS player to block a kick this season.
“Thank you to all the seniors for a great year,” said junior offensive lineman Brandon Stanfel.
photo by Teddy Kopacz