Record Newspapers football notes: Zook brothers, ‘tough as nails,’ team up as leaders of fierce Yorkville defense

Andrew and Luke Zook are brothers who share a bond as Yorkville football teammates.

The shared DNA doesn’t exactly register in their resemblance.

Andrew, a senior lineman, tips the scales at a healthy 6-foot-4 and close to 260 pounds. Luke, a sophomore, is little brother in more ways than one, a 6-foot, 175-pound defensive back.

“But he acts like a big, tough guy,” Andrew said. “We act similar. We don’t look the same.”

Both Zook brothers are huge parts of a stout Yorkville defense.

Andrew is a prototypical three technique, capable of taking on double teams as part of the Foxes’ fierce defensive line. He’s added O-line responsibilities this season, at left guard. Luke, in his first season on varsity, has emerged as a playmaking defensive back. He scored on a blocked punt in a win over Plainfield Central, and had a pick-six for Yorkville’s only touchdown in a 10-0 win over West Aurora.

It’s one of five shutouts by the Yorkville defense heading into a first-round playoff game with Libertyville Friday.

“If you look at them, they’re polar opposites, you wouldn’t think they were brothers by looking at them,” Yorkville coach Dan McGuire said. “But their personality and mentality, they’re extremely similar. Luke brings a D-line mentality to our secondary and Andrew kind of brings a DB mentality to the line with his penetration and athleticism. He has always been a kid that can split double teams and use his explosiveness. They bring unique traits to their positions, but they’re both tough as nails. If you judged them by their physical package you’d think there was no relation. If you see their play, you see them as related.”

Andrew weighed in at about 235 pounds as a junior, but by hitting the gym hard and packing in plenty of protein in his diet he bulked up to his current frame. McGuire said it’s allowed him to be a hybrid lineman in terms of giving the Foxes a great pass rush or penetration when needed with the strength to take on double teams.

Andrew Zook has 32 tackles, 12 for loss, 3.5 sacks and seven hurries.

“I feel like it’s definitely helped me take control of the line of scrimmage, yet I can still move around and be athletic,” Andrew said. “I feel like it really helps me dominate one-on-ones and messes up double teams. It ruins the scheme for offenses if they have to take two people to block me.”

McGuire said that in terms of physicality Luke Zook reminds him of Yorkville senior Blake Kersting, who also played up on varsity as a sophomore. Zook has 30 tackles, five for loss, and two interceptions.

“He has good ball skills, tracks the ball well, is smart and understands route combinations. He won us the game against West Aurora,” McGuire said. “Both of those brothers are very coachable. They don’t really say much but what they do is meaningful. They’re both very respectful, extremely hard-working kids. Great kids to have around the program.”

And both brothers look forward to more weeks ahead in their first season as teammates.

“It’s pretty cool,” Luke said. “We have been dreaming about this since we were kids playing football in the back yard. All the hard work we’ve put in, lifting together, has paid off. It’s pretty unique because it’s never happened before.”

Keyvon Powell waits his turn, makes his mark

When McGuire looks at senior Keyvon Powell, he sees a perfect example for what future Foxes can aspire to be.

Powell played some JV last year, got a few reps at tailback, particularly against Plainfield East when other backs were down, and battled through injuries. In a JV game against West Aurora Powell separated his shoulder, and missed the remainder of. the season.

“The way he handled himself, constantly around the team, constantly smiling, he tore his labrum but but he said ‘I’m going to be back coach,’” McGuire said. “The way he handled that setback made me believe he could be a great player down the road.”

Powell has indeed made his presence felt this fall, at a different position.

He’s moved to cornerback, an area of need for Yorkville going into the season, and has been a key part of a defense with five shutouts going into the playoffs.

“He’s a kid that that we point to and say ‘This is what you can become if you stick around the program,’” McGuire said. “You may not play as much sophomore and junior year but if you do things the right way, you’ll get your chance. Everybody talked about our defensive line going into the season but in the back of my mind I didn’t know if we’d have any DBs. To have a kid like Keyvon that has responded, it’s taken a weight off our shoulders. If there is a freshman B team kid, we can say look at Keyvon, he did things the right way, is a true program kid. Didn’t ask questions, didn’t complain, just did everything the right way.”

First look at Libertyville

McGuire has had 48 hours to get immersed in what Yorkville’s first-round opponent, Libertyville, brings to the table. What he has observed on film is a very aggressive defense, a physical offense with a mobile, strong-armed quarterback with big-play potential.

“They try to attack opponents defensively and try to get them out of their comfort zone. We have to handle that pressure,” he said. “Offensively they’re pretty similar to us in their philosophy, they’ll look to take some shots, they’ll try to run the ball.”

An interesting matchup up front appears to be Yorkville’s defensive line, unquestionably the team’s strength, against a Libertyville offensive line anchored by 6-foot-6, 295-pound Eastern Michigan recruit Trenton VanBoening. VanBoening’s brother, 6-foot-3, 235-pound sophomore Rhett VanBoening, also plays on the Wildcats’ line.

“I thought Oswego’s line was good, same as Minooka. The last two weeks we’ve been prepared to face some good line play,” McGuire said. “We hope we can match their level and defensively try to stay as disciplined as possible.”

Oswego East playoff ready

Oswego East’s playoff draw hardly sounds like an enviable draw – the Wolves will be making the trip Friday to Elmhurst to take on 9-0 York.

But they should be prepared.

Wolves’ coach Tyson LeBlanc pointed out the demanding nature of Oswego East’s second half of the season. And indeed, the Wolves’ last four games have consisted of three playoff teams – Minooka, Yorkville and Plainfield North. The lone outlier? A matchup with crosstown rival Oswego, an Oswego East win that ultimately clinched a spot in the playoffs.

“We’ve had a tough assignment the last 4-5 weeks of the season,” LeBlanc said. “We feel like our kids are battle-tested. We would have liked to play better last week (a 35-0 loss to Plainfield North) but part of that is Plainfield North is just a good football team. It comes down to being sound and disciplined and not putting yourselves in position to make mistakes.”

Oswego East’s first-round playoff opponent, York, is a program that is reestablishing itself as a state power under fifth-year coach Mike Fitzgerald.

The Dukes had seven consecutive losing seasons from 2012-2018, and had four coaches over a decade’s time. York announced its arrival back on the scene last season, going 8-2 and beating West Suburban Silver power Glenbard West for the first time since 2007. York beat the Hilltoppers again this year, won the program’s first outright conference title since 2006 and recorded the first perfect regular season in the 102-year history of the program.

Two-year starting quarterback Matt Vezza is a talented dual threat, and the York defense has allowed just 7.3 points per game. That’s tied for the fewest points allowed in the Class 8A bracket with Plainfield North.

“They’re long, athletic, very well-coached, they don’t do a lot of stuff offensively but what they do they do well,” LeBlanc said. “They are physical on defense, their quarterback is very nice, and they have a nice complement of skill positions to go with him. They are what you’d expect a 9-0 team to be.”

LeBlanc described York’s defense as a 3-3 stack version of Plainfield North, long and athletic on the back end with linebackers that can run. Key will be establishing the ground game with QB Tre Jones and Oshobi Odior, which the Wolves had tremendous success against Oswego but not so much last week.

“We have to establish the run,” LeBlanc said. “That’s been our thing this year is we’ve been a little more heavy on the run side. We have to take what the defense gives us, be patient and not one dimensional.”