On Friday, August 25, 2023, Libertyville’s varsity football team opened their season on their home field against Lemont High School, then ranked 27th by MaxPreps, in a thrilling competition that enabled the Wildcats a 22-13 win.
From the start of the first quarter, both teams made it clear that they wanted to make a statement. Lemont was there to defend their highly-ranked state position. Libertyville was there to start a new chapter in their program, coming off a season with a 5-5 record and a first-round playoff loss to the Yorkville Foxes, avenge a nearly year-old defeat, having lost to Lemont in their away season opener in 2022, and fulfill the desires of an orange-clad crowd.
Fans in the student section were given a scare when Lemont, a team that made it to the Class 6A state semifinals the previous year, scored on the very first play, not even fifteen seconds into the game. But Libertyville allowed very few points after this initial run.
Libertyville’s rapid momentum started when they blocked the touchdown’s conversion attempt, holding Lemont to just six points.. After that, sophomore Blaise LaVista (4) had a successful run to gain more ground for Libertyville, an action that he would repeat later that night.
As the student section raged on, junior Stevan Gavric (11) made a spectacular catch to score a touchdown for the home team. The crowd went wild as Libertyville completed a two-point conversion to gain an 8-6 lead.
Mike Jones, in his twelfth year as the head coach, attributed the night’s successes to “a much better offseason, like in the weight room and speed training.”
Lemont would score once again during the first quarter, but it would be the last time they would put points on the board. Libertyville locked down defensively, with such key moments as an interception by junior Mason Strader (2) and strong defensive plays from senior Mason Marabella (1). Libertyville also secured two more touchdowns in the second quarter, pushing the score to once again give them the lead, 22-13.
Junior Rhett VanBoening, who plays on varsity as a defensive tackle and right guard, following his first season on varsity as a center, said that the win “felt incredible. Last year wasn’t the outcome we were hoping for. But you know, we worked really hard in the offseason and it was just the outcome we were all wishing for and hoping for and I knew we were going to get based off our work.”
The game remained scoreless through the third and fourth quarters. Libertyville had the lead and now simply had to hold it. Lemont made multiple aggressive pushes up the field, but all without success. At one point, a Lemont player made it all but two precious yards for another touchdown, but was denied by Strader.
When the last seconds ran off the clock, Libertyville had made quite the name for themselves, ranked #106 by MaxPreps, knocking off a top-30 team in their home opener. The team and student section celebrated the win.
Senior Charlie Clark, in his second year on the varsity team, stated his goal for the season to be to “win out. I feel like we’re going to get a good opponent with Richards next week.”
The team will play at home again on Friday, September 1, against the Richards Bulldogs from Oak Lawn. Morale continues to run high as the team celebrates their first win, with Clark saying that “I don’t see a stop to this track.”