Jake Metze does it all for Johnsburg

There is very little Johnsburg senior Jake Metze cannot do on a football field.

Skyhawks coach Sam Lesniak calls Metza the “ultimate jack-of-all-trades for us.” Metze runs the ball, he catches passes, he returns punts and delivers big hits as well as grabs interceptions at linebacker.

Lesniak tried to get Metze a thrown touchdown this season, but the pass was picked off. Maybe the coach will work that play in again Friday as the No. 15-seeded Skyhawks (6-4) host No. 7 Rochelle (8-2) in their Class 4A second-round playoff game.

“I just think about it as fun for me,” Metze said of his numerous duties. “I can return the ball, play outside linebacker, the jet sweeps or running the ball up the middle, run routes, it’s really fun to do all those things and be versatile. It just feels good because teams have to plan for that.”

Only three area players – Prairie Ridge quarterback Tyler Vasey (34), Richmond-Burton fullback Steven Siegel (33) and Crystal Lake South running back Nate Van Witzenburg (29) – have scored more touchdowns from scrimmage this season than Metze, who has 25 (17 rushing, eight receiving).

“He is the focal point of our offense,” Lesniak said. “We try to make sure we get him the ball with some space. Good things typically happen from there. We talked about our offense being ‘Feed the studs’ and get him the ball as quickly as we can with as much space as we can and let him go to work.

“He plays receiver, he plays running back, we put him at quarterback, he returns punts, outside linebacker, really try to put him everywhere the ball’s going to be and give him a chance to make some plays, and he does.”

Metze is a third-year varsity player. He has 783 yards rushing and an area third-best 50 receptions for 743 yards. He rushed for 549 yards last season and caught 50 passes for 574.

“Last year he was our guy as well for offense,” Skyhawks offensive-defensive tackle Jacob Welch said. “We tried to get him the ball as much as possible, running and passing. But nothing has changed, he just kept developing. Now we’re using him more on defense as well and, man, he brings a load when he connects.

“He’s really physical. He’s a really hard and humble worker. He’s an amazing player. He’s just an athlete, not just a one-position player. He doesn’t care, he doesn’t whine, he doesn’t complain. He loves it. He embraces it. He always loves to compete.”

Sophomore quarterback A.J. Bravieri appreciated Metze organizing workouts in the offseason with him and the receivers.

“He really helped me over the summer with working out and throwing routes all the time,” Bravieri said. “He’d get people out of bed to get up and work. That’s definitely why we’ve had the success we’ve had this year with our offense, because he drove us to work hard and always talked about the playoffs.

“He’s a great teammate and a great leader. He treats everyone with a lot of respect and pushes people to do well. He makes sure everybody’s always doing the right thing, even in school. He’s always on people the right way, not the wrong way.”

Bravieri’s favorite Metze play this season was a diving catch of close to 40 yards against Marengo.

Lesniak prefers one Metze made on defense. About a minute after a 70-yard touchdown reception against Richmond-Burton, Metze pulled down a one-handed interception at the Skyhawks’ 3-yard line and took it to the house. He scored with one second remaining in the half.

R-B won the game 42-14, but Metze had 167 yards of touchdowns in a span of 1:15.

“Richmond was on our 3 and pounding it down our throats,” Metze said. “Coach said, ‘Metze, get in there.’ I got out there and the wingback goes out for a pass and the tight end goes out to block me and my hands are on his shoulder pads. I’m looking in the backfield and Dom Villone, one of our D-ends, tips the pass, and I see the ball in a weird motion.

“I stuck my right arm out and brought it in. I’m like, ‘Oh!’ And then I just hauled. That was the most exciting play I’ve been a part of. When I got into the end zone, I was literally about to pass out. I was so excited.”

Lesniak lauds Metze’s workout regimen, as well as his video study.

“He just puts in phenomenal extra effort and time,” Lesniak said. “He’s such a student of the game, and it really shows on the field.”

Metze has worked for three years with Tommy Christian, the owner at TCBoost, a speed and agility facility in Northbrook. That work also has helped Metze gain college interest from Drake and Dayton, two NCAA Division I FCS schools that play in the Pioneer Football League (which does not award athletic scholarships) and from D-II Michigan Tech.

Metze said he will make his college decision after the season.

In Johnsburg’s 48-12 Week 9 win over Harvard, Metze had one touchdown rushing, one receiving and one on a punt return.

The Skyhawks finished the 2021 season strong, winning three of their last four and giving R-B, which advanced to the Class 4A semifinals, its closest game of the regular season in a 23-20 loss.

Johnsburg desperately wanted to get back to the playoffs after missing in 2019 and 2021.

“I wanted to do everything I could do to help our team and make our team better because last year, we didn’t really work as a unit as well,” Metze said. “I wanted to change that and do whatever was possible, offense or defense, and just whatever coach wanted me to do.

“I worked really hard in the offseason. I knew if I worked hard, we could have a good year and I could help put my team in a really good spot.”