Blake DeNovo’s Scouts BSA sash may be decorated with ample colorful merit-badge patches to rival a large diagonal row of dominos, but there are more tasks to accomplish for the McHenry senior.

More long hours ahead. More earned smiles.

More opportunities for the water fanatic to make a splash.

DeNovo just bought his first boat, a 1982 Ranger.

A competitive bass fisherman who’s been angling ever since he could hold a rod, he’s planning on restoring his tournament-style classic and showing it off on the water.

“I’ll be able to do tournaments on my own, where I’m not relying on the school or reliant on someone else,” DeNovo said.

DeNovo embraces responsibility and might love the water more than the fish do. He’ll graduate next month, having competed in swimming, water polo and bass fishing for McHenry – he even serves as a lifeguard at the Knox Park pool and Petersen Park beach – but his commitment to excellence and hard work extends far beyond that.

He has badges to prove it.

Along with his McHenry classmate Myles Wagner and Johnsburg junior Josh Kaunas, DeNovo was honored Sunday by Scouts BSA Troop 149 in a ceremony at the McHenry Township Center for earning the rank of Eagle Scout. It is the highest rank in Scouts BSA, requiring at least 21 merit badges, including 13 that are specific, Eagle-required.

“It takes a lot of time and commitment to become an Eagle Scout,” said Kaunas, who, like DeNovo and Wagner, is a multi-sport athlete and excels in the classroom. “I’ve been in scouting for 10 years. I was in Cub Scouts, as well.”

Wagner qualified for state in cross country last fall. He also wrestles and competes in both water polo and track and field in the spring. He’s up at 5 a.m. during the week to go run before heading to school, but he values his rest.

“I’m big on my sleep,” Wagner said with a smile.

Getting ample sleep might be a challenge when trying to earn Scout merit badges, but DeNovo, Wagner and Kaunas welcome work and commitment.

Wagner says he finds motivation in the people who have guided him, pushed him and served as role models on his journey to becoming an Eagle Scout. The adults include his mother, Jessica; his “grammy,” Sue Milosch; his water polo coach, Matthew Matusek; and his cross country coach, Kevin Horst.

“I feel like I’m doing it for them,” Wagner said. “They’re super influential to me.”

Family also inspires Kaunas, a 6-foot-6 basketball guard who earned All-Kishwaukee River Conference honors in helping Johnsburg advance to a Class 2A supersectional this past winter. He competes in the triple jump and long jump for the Skyhawks’ track and field team in the spring.

Kaunas’ brother James, who’s a student at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, was an Eagle Scout. His cousin Brendon achieved the same honor. Josh and James’ dad, Brian, is an assistant scoutmaster. Josh said it took about an average of 10 hours of work to earn each of his badges, which are sewn on his sash by his grandmother.

To fulfill his community service project requirement, Kaunas built sensory boards for a therapeutic farm. The gadgets help children with special needs strengthen their fine motor skills.

Kaunas takes as much pride in his badges as he does in his athletic success. The A student (4.4 weighted GPA) wants to chase his brother’s school record in the triple jump and hopes to play college basketball.

Scouts are goal-driven, always.

“This [Eagle Scout recognition] is definitely up there [in career achievements], just based on the time commitment,” said Kaunas, the youngest of three kids of Brian and Marge. “I really spent a lot of time on this. Being able to be an Eagle Scout with my cousin and my brother really means a lot to me.”

DeNovo started Cub Scouts as a kindergartner. For him, nothing may beat a day on the Chain O’ Lakes, but as any fisherman will tell you, there is much to be said about perseverance.

“It just means that I accomplished something big in my life that I’ve been working for, for years,” DeNovo said of becoming an Eagle Scout. “It’s something that I have been working for since I was in kindergarten.”

DeNovo, who’s the oldest of two children of Tony and Kira, plans to study conservation law enforcement at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

Wisconsin has more than 15,000 lakes. Plenty of work and focus, whether on the water or in the classroom, awaits him.

DeNovo never quit on his long-term goal of becoming an Eagle Scout, so he’s excited about the next four years. He knows what it means to be full-throttle committed.

“There are obviously some of those down points of like, ‘Do I really have the time, or do I really want to keep going with this?’ ” DeNovo said of pursuing his Eagle Scout requirements. “But I just kept going. I had that mindset of, ‘I started it. I should probably finish it.’ ”

The next step in Wagner’s journey also will involve water. He’s planning on attending the U.S. Naval Academy and studying mechanical engineering. His involvement in Scouts has helped prepare him for his next endeavor.

“I don’t think I realized how big [becoming an Eagle Scout] was while I was doing it,” Wagner said. “Now that I’ve completed it, and I’m looking at the pictures from when I was in Cub Scouts, it’s basically encapsulated my whole growing up. It’s super special.”