Nazareth, a year after ‘surprising title,’ hopes to avoid another sluggish start

Six weeks into the 2022 season, Nazareth football coach Tim Racki pondered the direction of his program.

When he was hired to lead Nazareth in 2005, Racki was a young and innovative star among the coaching ranks in northern Illinois. He had led Driscoll to four straight state championships from 2001 to 2004.

Racki opened his Nazareth tenure with back-to-back 3-6 seasons, but since then his program has been among the best in the state. The Roadrunners have captured five state championships in the past eight full seasons, including winning the Class 5A title last season.

“We have more depth at the skill positions this year than I’ve ever had but we have only one football.”

—  Tim Racki, Nazareth football coach

Racki said he was worried about his team even making the playoffs last season after a 2-4 start.

“Last year was a surprising title,” Racki said. “We had a lot of young kids up, so it was one of the more surprising state titles because we had a lot of young guys. It was kind of a blessing and a curse. We have more depth at the skill positions this year than I’ve ever had but we have only one football.”

The Roadrunners, Racki said, emphasized leadership this summer to avoid another sluggish opening, plus to keep “all the players on the same page.”

“We had a special senior group last year,” Racki said. “I have some great leaders this year. We will see how they are able to handle the mantle. Many of them are juniors, but they will be three-year varsity starters.

“We were one game away from not making the playoffs last year. That was a different experience for me. Last year’s title was special because of the buy in by the players. The question is do we have the same type of leadership this year to carry them through adversity.”

Nazareth senior running back/linebacker Brendan Flanagan said the returnees should benefit from handling the ups and downs of a difficult journey to the state title. Flanagan said he added 15 pounds during the offseason, helping him become stronger while also working on his speed to be more explosive.

“As a team, we have a lot of potential to be great,” Flanagan said. “We have a very strong group of guys who have all played with each other for a couple of years now, which has helped us become very close this offseason. We’re focusing on building our culture right now and building a good foundation for the season.”

Junior quarterback Logan Malachuk said the Roadrunners have grown from last year’s experience, which included ending the season with a 10-game winning streak. Nazareth opens this season with four straight games on the road, starting with Kankakee.

“I feel confident because we have so many returning guys, so our growth and experience will take us a long way,” Malachuk said. “I think the receiver talent we have this year is the best in the state. We have a lot of returning receivers and a lot of young receivers that nobody got to see last year that can play. I’m very excited for everyone to see what they can do.”

Malachuk, who completed 15-of-27 passes for 245 yards and two touchdowns in the state title game win over Peoria, said he’s looking to showcase new elements to his game this fall.

“I have worked on a lot, but the one thing that I’ve really tried to work on is my speed,” Malachuk said. “I feel that if I can add the threat of running more into my game that it will only help me out and our entire offense out more.”