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sports
THe North shore weekend
Home alone
Kutschke looks to finish what he started at Lake Forest
■ by bill mclean
sports@northshoreweekend.com Nearly every member of the Kutschke family of Lake Forest scattered this summer. Ed and Sue Kutschke and their daughter, Carly, moved to San Diego in June. Two months later one of their sons, Tom, headed to Brown University, where the 2013 Lake Forest High School graduate and defensive lineman will hit the books and ball carriers. But their other son, Jack Kutschke, stayed put, opting to stick around for his senior year at LFHS and suit up for the Scouts’ football team as a 6-foot-5, 235-pound inside linebacker. A 2012 all-North Suburban Conference pick after leading the Scouts in solo tackles (67) and recording eight tackles for loss, Kutschke has arranged to live with the Clifford family during the 2013-14 academic year. Andrew Clifford (LFHS, ’13) quarterbacked LF to a Class 6A state semifinal last fall. “His love for Lake Forest football — that’s what impresses me the most about Jack,” LF senior defensive lineman Trent Williams said of one of the team’s captains. “He didn’t want to leave his football brothers.” Not even the enviable climate in San Diego — “About 70 degrees every day, with no humidity,” Jack said — could uproot him from the Midwest. Nor could the Pacific Ocean and the city’s Torrey Pines Golf Course, at which he played this summer. (Cary Kutschke, a sophomore, will play volleyball at Torrey Pines HS.) “I also gave surfing a whirl out there,” said Jack, who also likes to fish, hunt, snow ski and play hockey. He won’t just get more mileage out of his sweaters this fall; he also will wear out football opponents this fall, much to the delight of his teammates and coaches. “Jack is a great physical presence on the field, with his excellent size and ability to move very well for someone as big as he is,” Scouts coach Chuck Spagnoli said. “He makes plays that you don’t think someone of his size should be able to make. Jack also balances his responsibilities at school with his love of athletics. “Jack,” he added, “is as complete of a studentathlete as we have had.” As a student-athlete at the School of St. Mary in Lake Forest, Jack Kutschke played football for four years for a coach with a household name — Ed Kutschke. “That was different, playing for my dad those
08/31 – 09/01/13
Lake Forest High School’s Jack Kutschke (number 56), seen here in action last fall, is a returning all-conference linebacker. The Scouts host Racine St. Catherine's on Friday night at 7:30pm.
years,” Jack Kutschke said. “But he treated me like he treated everybody else. Playing for him gave me extra motivation and it helped me get ready for high school football.” Ed Kutschke played football at New Trier High School and the College of Holy Cross. Jack Kutschke has verbally committed to attend Holy Cross. “I didn’t want the process to drag along, so I pulled the trigger [earlier this summer],” the linebacker said, adding he’ll likely be shifted to defensive end at the school in Worcester, Mass. “I’d been to camps in the summer there, and I like the way they do things. It’s a solid program at a great school. It offers a nice combination of academics and athletics.” Kutschke’s potent mix of brawn and brains should stymie running backs and disrupt game plans once again this fall. It certainly can’t be alluring for a running back, knowing a run up the middle against the Scouts will likely result in a crunching encounter with fast-closing player who would look perfectly normal obliterating overmatched foes as an offensive lineman. “Jack knows where he has to be and when he has to be there,” said Williams, who amassed five of his 7.5 sacks in a 31-19 playoff win over Notre Dame last fall. “He’s an intelligent player. He’s also a great leader, a player who always supports us.” Ed and Sue Kutschke want to be there for Jack each Game Day. But that will be tricky for both, with Tom playing college ball on the East Coast and Carly playing volleyball on the West Coast. “I think they’re going to alternate [visiting the Midwest for LF football games],” Jack Kutschke said. A family reunion for all of them might be in order for several weekends in November — playoff time in Illinois. Lake Forest’s 2012 season (9-4) didn’t end until Nov. 16, when LF lost 42-21 to visiting Cary-Grove in a state semifinal. “That was ridiculous, seeing how crazypacked our stadium was and experiencing the amazing atmosphere that entire day,” Kutschke said. “We showed a lot of character throughout the playoffs, from our resilience against Rolling Meadows [a come-from-behind 45-24 win] to taking care of business against Notre Dame. Against Lakes [23-21 in the second round] we performed well in a tight game. “The coaches on staff here,” he added, “they’re all still inspiring. They work hard for us, going to clinics and putting the playbook together. And we work hard for them.” ■
The Press Box Ex-Giants move on to the next level Soccer: Three of the top players on the 2012-13 Highland Park High School boys soccer team are playing at the next level. Nikita Katzman, an all-conference forward, has moved to Spain, and he’s playing for a minor league team: Puente Castro in Leon. Noah Bloch, an all-conference midfielder, is set to play soccer for Division III Vassar College in New York. A nd T r i s t i a n Pe n i c k , a n a l l - c o n fe r ence defender, will play at Carthage College.
Trevian 18U squad finishes 4th at national tourney Softball: The Trevian 18U team, which is coached by Steve Zuckerman, capped off its summer with a fourthplace finish in the PGF Midwest Nationals in St. Charles on July 22-28. According to the Trevian Girls Softball Assocation website, the squad earned wins over the Windmills, Stateline
Fury, Michiana Mystique and Bartlett Silverhawks before losing to the Team Oak Stars. The roster includes Anna Balch, Abbey Boyd, Madeline Flynn, Courtney Grasz, Claire Grossman, Clara Hecht, Jenny McTague, Megan Neuhaus, Tayler Oberman, Allison Quigley, Kristin Reichert and Liza Tarr. Last year, the Trevian 16U team finished fifth in the USSSA World Series in Overland, Kan. That roster included Boyd, Caruso, Flynn, Grossman, Neuhaus and Quigley.
Lake Forest High School honors 2013 athletes All sports: Lake Forest High School will unveil a new installation of honorees for its Images of Excellence mural on Friday night. The ceremony will be part of big sports doubleheader at Varsity Field. At 5 p.m., Lake Forest will host Loyola Academy in field hockey. Then, the Scouts’ football team will entertain Racine St. Catherine’s at 7:30 p.m. Photographed by Sportpics, the 2013 LFHS award recipients include Ben Asma (band), Billy Bund (cross country/track), Kylie Carlson (gymnastics), Andrew Clifford
(football/lacrosse), Sam Downey (basketball), Hannah Faucher (student council president), Peter Gruenes (baseball), Chris Janeck (soccer/lacrosse), Tommy Kutschke (football), Adam LaVitola (soccer), Maddie Lipp (tennis), Danielle Loeger (soccer), Isabelle Montagne (field hockey/ lacrosse), Nina Nissly (swimming), Gabriela Perino (volleyball/basketball/soccer), Colin Rowe (swimming/water polo), Helen Schlachtenhaufen (cross country/track) and Carly Schmidt (track).
Cardinals promote new trier's Tilson Baseball: Ex-New Trier High School star Charlie Tilson, who is ranked No. 11 in the St. Louis Cardinals minor league organization by mlbpipeline.com, was promoted to high A last week. The speedy outfielder is now playing in the Florida State League with the Palm Beach Cardinals. Prior to the call-up, the 20-year Tilson played 100 games with the Peoria Chiefs in the Midwest League. His stats included a .303 batting average with 49 runs, 30 RBI and 15 stolen bases. He had a walk-off triple in a 2-1 win over Wisconsin on Aug. 8. ■