Friday Night Drive’s 2021 Fall Team of the Year

The Friday Night Drive Team of the Year for the 2021 fall season is here with 44 of Illinois’ best players comprising our first and second teams.

Offensive Player of the Year: East St. Louis senior Luther Burden III

Defensive Player of the Year: Richmond-Burton senior Brock Wood

FIRST TEAM

Quarterback

Hank Beatty, Rochester: The Illinois commit did a bit of everything for the Rockets, who finished 11-2 and reached the Class 4A semifinals. Beatty finished 152-of-236 passing for 1,899 yards and 23 touchdowns against four interceptions. The senior also ran for 1,371 yards yards and six scores on 146 carries. Beatty added 341 yards on 22 catches just for good measure.

Jack Lausch, Brother Rice: The Crusaders quarterback did it all for Brother Rice this season. Lausch, a senior, threw for 2,447 yards and 20 touchdowns and ran 1,084 yards with 21 touchdowns. The CCL/ESCC Blue Player of the Year will play collegiately at Northwestern.

Running back

Seth Glatz, Morton: Glatz proved to be an absolute running machine, particularly in the postseason. The bulldozer finished with 3,250 rushing yards this season with 46 touchdowns, which ranked the senior third nationally on MaxPreps statistical leaderboard in the category. He rushed for over 200 yards in 10 of Morton’s games and only failed to crack the century mark once (97 yards vs. Limestone). In the postseason, he elevated his game to new heights, rushing for 1,245 yards and 17 touchdowns in four playoff games, twice rushing for more than 400 yards.

Nick Hissong, Cary-Grove: Hissong was a punishing runner at fullback in the Trojans’ triple-option attack. He ran for 1,717 yards and 30 touchdowns for the Class 6A state champions, with an 8.7-yard average per carry. The senior was at his best against East St. Louis in the title game, carrying 32 times for 224 yards and a touchdown.

Vinny Iannantone, Joliet Catholic: In an offense full of impressive performers, Iannantone was the driving force behind the Hilltoppers’ effort. The senior was the leading rusher in an attack that posted over 4,000 yards of total rushing yardage, 1,837 of which came courtesy of the CCL/ESCC Orange Player of the Year. He also powered his way to 21 touchdowns.

Wide receiver

Luther Burden III, East St. Louis: It took Burden just two plays to find the end zone in the Class 6A state championship game. The senior would add two more in a 37-36 loss to Cary-Grove. Burden, a Missouri commit and one of the top recruits in the nation, finished with 77 catches for 1,280 yards and 22 touchdowns while also making an impact in the return game with 13 scores.

Sam Gagne, Kaneland: Gagne, a Class 5A Coaches Association first-team selection, had an eye-popping 61 catches for 1,146 yards. The senior hauled in 15 touchdown catches for the Knights, who qualified for the Class 5A playoffs.

Max Reese, Fenwick: The Eastern Michigan recruit was the top target for quarterback Kaden Cobb. Reese, a senior, caught 68 passes for 1,112 yards and 13 touchdowns for the Class 5A state champions.

Offensive line

Valen Erickson, St. Rita: A Missouri commit, Erickson helped lead the way for an offense that ran the ball well and aired it out too. The 6-foot-6, 280-pound lineman is one of the best in the state and was an all-conference player.

Deuce McGuire, Marist: A Northwestern commit, McGuire, a senior, paved the way for the Red Hawks offense. The CCL/ESCC Blue Lineman of the Year helped lead a line where Marist passed for 2,345 yards and ran 2,206 yards in a season, helping the RedHawks advance to the Class 8A quarterfinals.

Miles McVay, East St. Louis: The top college programs in the country are lining up to make their pitch to McVay, one of the top 2023 recruits in the nation. At 6-foot-7, 365 pounds, it’s not difficult to figure out why. McVay was an absolute beast up front for the Flyers, who finished as runner-up in Class 6A.

Defensive line

Andrew Blackburn-Forst, Lockport: In a defense full of standout players, Blackburn-Forst played a big part in guiding Lockport to the Class 8A State title. The senior was almost impossible to block man-on-man and required extra attention. Otherwise, he’d likely set up camp in the opposition’s backfield, which allowed him to net 22 tackles for loss and 13 sacks.

Lincoln Cooley, Sycamore: Cooley played about 95% of the snaps for the Spartans going both ways for the 5A semifinalsts. On defense, the junior had 12 tackles against eventual state champ Fenwick in a 17-6 loss. He had 42 tackles for the year, nine for a loss. Most of the Sycamore rushing attack ran behind him as well.

Djabril McNabb, St. Rita: The CCL/ESCC Green Player of the Year was a force on the Mustangs defensive line. McNabb finished with 88 total tackles, 13 sacks and recovered five fumbles. The senior also returned an interception for a touchdown.

T.J. McMillen, Wheaton St. Francis: McMillen Was a force on both ends of the ball, compiling 55 tackles and 12 tackles for a loss. The junior also recorded 41 pancakes while playing three positions on the offensive line.

Linebacker

Drew Harp, Princeton: Harp, a senior, was invaluable on both sides of the ball for the Tigers on the way to the 3A quarterfinals, the only two-way player chosen unanimously TRAC East All-Conference. The IHSFCA Class 3A All-Stater recorded 127 tackles, including three sacks. He finished his career with 353 tackles, believed to be a school record.

James Kreutz, Loyola: The CCL/ESCC Blue co-Defensive Player of the Year was all over the field for the Ramblers. Kreutz, a senior, finished with 137 total tackles, 19 for a loss, six sacks, five broken-up passes, one forced fumble and an interception. He also stepped in at running back when Loyola lost its top backs.

Dominic McDonough, Plainfield East: McDonough did so much damage behind the opponent’s line of scrimmage that it would be easy to believe he started lined up there. The senior finished with 126 total tackles, including 89 solo stops. More impressively, he netted 27 tackles for loss, which likely helped him secure a Class 7A All-State nod from the IHSFCA.

Jimmy Rolder, Marist: A Michigan commit, Rolder had quite the senior season, especially in October. Rolder didn’t have any college-football scholarship offers until Illinois offered on Oct. 9. He finished with 12. The CCL/ESCC Blue co-Defensive Player of the Year had 115 total tackles, 13 for a loss, four sacks and three interceptions.

Brock Wood, Richmond-Burton: Wood led the Rockets to a 12-1 record and back to the Class 4A semifinals for the third consecutive season. The senior led R-B with 126 tackles, one interceptions and 15 tackles for losses. He also rushed for 1,658 yards and 27 touchdowns. Wood played through the Rockets’ 27-26 quarterfinal win over Phillips with a bad thigh bruise, then played against Joliet Catholic with a broken left thumb suffered in the first quarter.

Defensive back

Jashawn Johnson, Hoffman Estates: Johnson, a senior, rarely left the field for the Hawks, who finished 8-3 and reached the Class 7A second round. The Western Michigan commit had 54 tackles, four interceptions and two defensive TDs. He also brought in 77 catches for 1,432 yards and 20 scores.

Toriano Pride, East St. Louis: You won’t find many high schoolers who can play defensive back with the technical skills that Pride possesses, which has made him one of the top secondary recruits in the country. Pride, a senior, will play collegiately at Clemson.

SECOND TEAM

Quarterback

Kaden Cobb, Fenwick

Mark Forcucci, Wheaton North

Running back

Jordan Anderson, Joliet Catholic

Maurice Edwards, Warren

Mike Sajenko, Maine South

Wide receiver

Malik Armstrong, Minooka

Jon Buckley, Carmel

Tyreke Fortney, Peru St. Bede

Offensive line

Luke Dalton, Marian Central

Jimmy Liston, Fenwick

Zach Petko, Cary-Grove

Defensive line

Suleiman Abuaqel, Fenwick

Jake Davies, Yorkville

Jason Farnham Jr., Sterling

Tyler Wilms, Lemont

Linebacker

Alex Goworowski, St. Patrick

Tyler Jansey, Batavia

Colin Nesler, Genoa-Kingston

Vinny Rugai, St. Ignatius

Jake Scianna, Lincoln-Way East

Defensive back

Dawson Alexander, Sycamore

Nick Mabutas, Willowbrook