Because Landon Dovel is one of many options in Grayslake North’s potent offense, the senior running back isn’t often asked to be the center of attention.
That doesn’t mean Dovel isn’t up to the task, though.
“The mentality is ‘be tired tomorrow,’” he said. “I’m a senior, and I only have so many games left. I may as well put my all out right now because I’m not playing in college. If I’m tired now, I have the whole week to recover.”
Dovel may need a bit of extra recovery time in the coming week after his workmanlike effort in the Knights’ 28-12 Northern Lake County Conference win against visiting crosstown rival Grayslake Central.
Dovel showed plenty of grit, churning for extra yards well after first contact, no matter the place on the field. He also exhibited the ability to take a carry to the house on a 47-yard touchdown run on which he had to get to daylight and then stave off several defenders who were in pursuit.
The numerical result was impressive. Dovel finished with a career-high 204 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries.
“Landon basically carried us,” Grayslake North coach Brian Johnson said. “He kept pounding it and kept getting stronger. We saw that the more carries he gets, the better he gets.”
With a heavy wind swirling throughout the game, it wasn’t a big surprise that the Knights (4-1, 2-1) put the ball in Dovel’s hands as much as possible against the Rams (3-2, 2-1). The rushing showcase came just seven days after Grayslake North’s passing game hummed in a wild 58-57 win against Grant.
Having to contend with Dovel instead of senior quarterback Mitchell Hughes and senior receivers Cameron Bates and Chris Filas isn’t a particularly attractive endeavor for defenses.
”The only thing I have to say to other teams is good luck stopping our offense,” Dovel said. “It’s pretty impossible to stop all of us, so one of us will always be open to make an impact.”
Dovel, who went into the game with 440 yards on 62 carries, did so in many ways against Grayslake Central. His 7-yard run early in the second quarter helped put the Knights ahead 8-0, and his 47-yard touchdown stretched the lead to 22-0 midway through the third. Hughes and Bates also added 9-yard scoring runs.
“If they’re going to be in my way, I’m going to lower my shoulder and make sure they’re not still in my way,” Dovel said. “I’m not going to come around and dance. I’m going to run right through them — being the hammer and not the nail. Being the nail stinks.”
Not that hammer and nail are the only choices.
“I know this is weird to say, but I play sometimes scared, like someone’s chasing after me,” Dovel said. “When you play scared, you move so much faster. If I feel like someone’s chasing me, I’m going to make quick cuts to get out of that situation.”
Dovel, whose younger brother Beckett is a sophomore on track to be a four-year starter in the defensive secondary, made quick work of the Rams on his long touchdown run. As fun as it was for him to have so much open terrain in front of him, Dovel chuckled as he recounted how right tackle Matthew Myszka handled three defenders to help create a gap.
“It was like dominoes with all three of them going down one right after another,” Dovel said. “I put total confidence in my O-line. If I’m getting beat up, I know my O-line is going to pick me back up and keep pushing for me.”
The feeling is mutual.
“It’s really nice to have the confidence that when I seal the guy that I have to, I know that Landon can cut right off of me and I can see him just run upfield,” Myszka said. “I know that if I do my job, Landon will do his.”
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter.
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