Impact Players Ready to Take the Field

Reilly O’Toole, Matt Rogers, Titus Davis, Travis Kern, Caleb Bednarz and Sparty Chino became household names at Wheaton Warrenville South and around the community last fall as the Tigers marched to an undefeated season and their second straight Class 7A state title.

Dan Vitale? Not so much.

Vitale more or less flew under the radar most of his junior year. Although listed as a running back, he wasn’t an every-down back like Rogers last year.

“That’s why you don’t remember him,” head coach Ron Muhitch said. “He played ‘S’ receiver in a package that came on the field when I needed him at fullback.”

When Vitale did take the field, however, good things happened for the Tigers. Oftentimes, O’Toole would swing a short pass out in the flat to Vitale, who exhibited a knack for breaking tackles and turning those shorts passes into long gains or touchdowns.

Vitale’s season, unfortunately, was cut short after he broke his collar bone during the Tigers’ triumph over Glenbard West in the 7A quarterfinals. He missed the rest of the playoffs, including the championship game victory against Lake Zurich.

Despite Vitale’s season-ending injury, and his absence from the field for each offensive snap, Muhitch—whose teams have produced a number of Division I players over the years—believed Vitale had the necessary skill set and intangibles to be recruited by a major college program.

“I knew that about Danny, but I didn’t think Danny knew that about Danny,” Muhitch said.

Vitale put together a video highlighting his 2010 season, and then began reaching out to various schools and coaches.

“I tried to get in contact with the coaches myself and say, ‘Here’s my tape,’ ” he said.

Northwestern turned out to be one of the first universities that reached out to Vitale shortly after he had contacted them. Vitale, who started following the Wildcats and head coach Pat Fitzgerald in high school, was thrilled. He had always considered Northwestern his dream school.

NU scheduled a one-day camp for high school seniors on June 10, so Vitale jumped at the opportunity to attend the camp. And Vitale, according to Muhitch, blew Northwestern coaches away with his performance.

“They had seniors come in and go through a battery of tests,” Muhitch said. “They looked at him as a defensive player, and then when everybody saw him do this combine stuff, they said, ‘Wow.’ He had the best scores in many categories.”

The impression Vitale left was such that NU coaches asked him to stick around after the camp had ended. Coach Fitzgerald wanted to speak with him.

Vitale walked into Fitzgerald’s office, and the coach offered him a scholarship. Vitale accepted on the spot.

“It doesn’t get any better than Northwestern—the coaches, academics, everything,” said Vitale, who sports a 5.3 grade-point average on a 5-point scale and scored a 29 on his ACT. “Overall I couldn’t ask for a better group of coaches. Coach Fitzgerald himself and the assistant coaches, especially Coach (Matt) MacPherson (NU’s recruiting coordinator).”

NU is looking at Vitale as either a linebacker or a superback, which is a hybrid fullback/tight end position.

“He’s a brilliant kid,” Muhitch said, “and the same day he proved himself at Northwestern, he proved himself to the rest of the area that he is a legitimate Division I football player. I couldn’t imagine a better position for him than Northwestern football.”

Vitale won’t be flying under anyone’s radar this season. He’ll be a go-to player for the Tigers—and not just in special sets.

He’s going to be in a variety of positions for us,” Muhitch said. “He’s one of our best receivers. His status as a player is that he’s very versatile. Because of that, he’s one of our better players.”

Impact Players

The 2011 prep football season gets under way in DuPage County and throughout the state Friday night with a full slate of non-conference games.

Vitale will be leading the Tigers as they begin their quest for a Class 7A three-peat by hosting Glenbard West on Sunday morning in a contest that’s part of ESPN High School Football Kickoff weekend.

Here’s a rundown on other players from local high schools (one per school) who’ll make an impact with their respective teams throughout the season (in alphabetical order):

Kyle Bosch, offensive lineman, St. Francis—Bosch, a junior, is fast becoming the area’s new Tommy Schutt as far as drawing a plethora of interest from college recruiters. “He has excellent technique, is strong, and plays mean and physical,” Scout.com Midwest regional director Allen Trieu told a columnist from the Detroit Free Press recently. “He is ahead of the curve and really impressive.”

Dan Callahan, quarterback, Hinsdale Central—Last October, the senior left-hander filled in impressively for injured starter Alex Hodakowski toward the end of the Red Devils’ season-ending loss to Proviso West. He scrambled effectively and passed for a touchdown. Hinsdale Central will be looking for Callahan to build on that performance this season.

D.J. King, cornerback/wide receiver, Hinsdale South—King should be one the main beneficiaries of new coach Mike Barry’s no-huddle, four-wideouts shotgun offense. The senior also covers opposing receivers like a blanket and is an effective special teams player.

Riley McGinnis, quarterback, Downers North—McGinnis, a senior,  experienced some growing pains through the 2010 season. He’ll be more settled behind center this year—a season that Downers North hopes will be an improvement over last year’s 2-7 campaign.

James Peachey, center/linebacker, Immaculate Conception—Everything will be Peachey for the Knights and new coach Chris VanDyke with this senior two-way starter. He was IC’s only representative on the 2010 all-Suburban Catholic Conference Gold team.

Wes Sanders, running back, Glenbard South—Prep football talk in Glen Ellyn centers around Schutt and Company at Glenbard West, but Sanders is one of the best playmakers on either side of Roosevelt Road. Sanders, a senior, ran wild in the Raiders’ 2010 season finale, gaining over 200 yards and scoring three touchdowns. He also played defensive end for the Raiders.

Nick Saul, quarterback, Lisle—The Lions’ junior signal caller settled down last season after a shaky start, and noticeably improved his completion percentage and TD numbers. The 6-foot-3 Saul should be one of the I-8 conference’s best quarterbacks during 2011.

Tommy Schutt, defensive lineman, Glenbard West—One of the state’s most heavily recruited players, ended a lengthy recruiting process by choosing Penn State earlier this month. Now, the top D-lineman in Illinois is concentrating on helping the Hilltoppers go deep in the Class 7A playoffs—and hopefully making a reservation at Memorial Stadium Thanksgiving weekend.

Patrick Sharp, running back, Wheaton North—Coach Joe Wardynski has already made it clear that the 5-9 junior will be a focal point of the Falcons’ offense this season. Sharp rushed for over 400 yards and scored six TDs as a sophomore.

Nick Skuteris, linebacker, York—A varsity starter since his freshman year, the 250-pound senior has seen action on both sides of the ball for the Dukes. Skuteris, though, found his niche at linebacker last year, and he’ll be making life miserable for opposing ballcarriers once again on Friday nights.

Kevin Weller, quarterback, Benet—Graduation claimed several starters who last year led the Redwings to the postseason for the first time in five years. Weller joins the team this fall after transferring from Neuqua Valley, where he helped Neuqua’s sophomore team to an 8-1 record. He takes over for last year’s starter, Nick Mankowski, who’ll see action at running back and wide receiver.

Josh Williams, tailback, Downers South—Bleachreport.com has compared this senior’s talents to that of Miami Dolphins’ all-purpose back, Reggie Bush. Williams possesses breakaway speed, and is always a threat to rush for over 100 (if not 200) yards every game, and/or take kickoffs to the house. He’s coming off a season in which he galloped for more than 1,200 yards and scored 21 touchdowns.