Libertyville wide receiver Blaise LaVista isn’t quarterback Quinn Schambow’s only reliable target in the passing game.
But LaVista seems to be the one most likely to take the top off opposing defenses, and the 6-foot-2, 190-pound junior certainly did that during the Wildcats’ North Suburban Conference opener on Friday.
“I knew this was coming,” Schambow said. “Whenever I see Blaise and he’s got grass in front of him, I’m throwing him that ball, and he’s going to catch it and make a play. He showed what he’s all about. I think he’ll get the respect he deserves.”
LaVista made just three catches against Stevenson but made them count with 90-yard and 95-yard touchdowns and a 51-yard grab as Libertyville rolled to a 43-14 win.
Schambow, a senior who has committed to play baseball at Oklahoma State, completed 13 of 16 passes for 419 yards and five touchdowns for the Wildcats (3-0, 1-0), who have scored at least 43 points in each game this season.
“We know one of us is going to eat, and eventually they’re going to double one of us, and the next person is going to eat,” LaVista said. “We’ll just keep doing that every game. I don’t think there’s a single secondary in the state that can deal with us.”
LaVista has scored twice in each of Libertyville’s first three games, looking like a receiver who is nearly impossible to cover.
LaVista already must have had opponents’ attention after last season, when he had 47 catches for 1,091 yards and 15 touchdowns. Uncorking multiple 90-yard touchdown catches in the same game, however, is a different story.
Those catches against Stevenson played out differently but had the same result. The first one was the 95-yarder, coming early in the second quarter to give Libertyville a 15-0 lead. It had the look of something one might see in a pickup game.
“Playing with Quinn for the past years makes it so that those backyard balls are plays that we can draw up,” LaVista said. “I know that if I get open, that ball is going to come, and he’ll put it in any spot he can. It’s beautiful to have.”
LaVista can also take an underneath crossing route and go the distance, like he did for 90 yards on the second play of the third quarter. That stretched the Wildcats’ lead to 29-7 and made it difficult for Stevenson (2-1, 0-1) to rebound.
“That play actually isn’t designed for me, but I knew pre-snap that I was going to find a little bit of space, so I cut it a little bit short, cut across the middle early and put my hands up,” LaVista said. “As soon as I got the ball in my hands, I looked up and saw green grass, and I turned the burners on. I know nobody on this field can catch up with me. Once I got around the corner, I knew I was gone.”
Speed is a major component in LaVista’s success. He runs sprints for the track team. But the on-field awareness he described makes him even more dangerous.
LaVista has also played on the other side of the ball this season as a safety for the Wildcats’ underappreciated defense, which kept the Patriots in check after they scored a combined 94 points in their first two games.
“He’s expanded his game, and he’s still able to do things on offense we ask him to do,” Libertyville coach Mike Jones said. “It was his turn tonight. A couple of weeks ago, it was Stevan Gavric’s turn. Last week, Brock Williams had three touchdowns.
“(LaVista) made the plays he needed to make.”
If LaVista continues to produce at this pace, he will pop onto the radar of even more college recruiters. He already has offers from Toledo and Akron and had a 6:30 am flight Saturday morning for a visit to Minnesota. He also plans to make trips to Illinois, Wisconsin and Mississippi.
It wouldn’t be easy for LaVista to entirely block out the recruiting noise, but he’s trying hard to focus on the job he needs to do for Libertyville.
“The big thing for me is to not worry about personal stats and how it looks on film,” he said. “At the end of the day, we’re 3-0, and we’re blowing teams out. If I have a good game, it’s a good game, and if my boys have a good game, I’m even happier.”
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter.
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