Edward Charse III makes his official return Saturday.
After missing Manley’s last two games with a sprained right knee, the senior co-captain is scheduled to be back on the field for a Public League Illini Northwest matchup against Collins at 11 a.m.
“I can’t wait to get back,” said Charse, who as a wide receiver had averaged 27 yards per catch through Manley’s first five games. “It’s been hard standing on the sideline watching.”
Charse, who is ranked No. 1 in his class academically, caught 25 passes for 666 yards and seven touchdowns before the injury Sept. 22 in a loss to Marshall.
But he doesn’t only catch passes. Manley coach Anthony Stewart thinks so highly of Charse’s skills that he plays him at defensive back and occasionally at quarterback or running back, along with returning kicks. Charse has one rushing touchdown and a 60-yard interception return for a score–after leading the team as a junior with 13 TDs.
“Edward’s the type of player that you want the ball in his hands as many times as you can because he has the ability to break one open anytime,” Stewart said. “He definitely can play Division I ball.”
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Charse, a6-foot-1-inch, 190-pounder, caught five passes for 208 yards and three touchdowns in Manley’s opening 42-0 victory over Bowen.
“He is so dangerous in the open field,” Stewart said.
Not many colleges noticed at first, but the calls have been coming as of late. Illinois, Illinois State, Northwestern and Central Michigan have shown interest, and Athletic Director Jennifer Jones expects more.
“Edward is a rarity,” Jones said. “He’s a well-rounded person. The teachers speak very highly of him. He’s a motivator. He’s a self-starter. If I had a son, I’d want one just like Edward.”
Charse, who plans to study electrical engineering or construction in college, carries a 3.5 grade-point average, has qualified with his ACT scores, is a member of the National Honor Society and received a computer for his leadership qualities in a Chicago Urban League-sponsored contest.
He also hopes to be a member of the track and bowling teams in the spring.
“I’d love to play in the Big Ten if I get an opportunity,” said Charse, whose future hope is to own a construction company. “I’m hoping to stay in the Midwest, but I’d love to play for any college that would love to have me.”
Illinois was interested in him at defensive back, but Charse is pushing to be a wide receiver in college. “It’s something about playing wide receiver–something about making big plays,” said Charse, whose favorite player is Jerry Rice. “My adrenaline starts pumping when I catch the ball.”
He admitted it was tough watching his teammates play the last two games (both victories) without him. But Stewart said Charse inspired the team.
“He’s a definite leader,” Stewart said. “Since he’s been out, his leadership has kept the players fired up and ready to play.”
During the first game Charse missed, Manley (4-3 overall, 2-2 Illini Northwest) trailed Clemente 8-0 at the half.
“At that game our team looked dead. They were playing flat,” Charse said. “The coaches let me talk to the team at halftime and the coaches stayed outside [of the locker room]. I said a few things, reminded my teammates about all the hard work they did in practice. There was no reason to stop working hard now.”
And his teammates responded, shutting out Clemente in the second half for a 28-8 victory.
“A lot of kids look up to Edward,” Stewart said. “When he speaks, they respect what he says. He’s truly the team leader.”
HOOPLA
The battle of Naperville is more than just No. 1-ranked Naperville Central (7-0) facing No. 6 Naperville North with the DuPage Valley Conference title on the line. In anticipation of a crowd up to 10,000, officials decided to move Friday night’s game from Naperville Central to North Central College’s two-year-old football stadium.
To alleviate parking problems, shuttle buses will operate from both high schools, although Naperville Central is just a 10-minute walk from the North Central campus. Both high schools’ principals are sponsoring a tailgate party for faculty and family members as a way of celebrating the football excellence at both schools.
“Having the game at North Central has increased the hype,” Naperville Central Athletic Director Marty Bee said. “We’ve rented temporary bleachers that will enable us to put 3,000 more fans on the visitors side.”
HOOPLA II
North Central sports information director Kevin Juday will be busy accommodating a media contingent that includes five television stations, three radio stations and five newspapers.
ESPN radio personality Bill Simonson will originate his sports-talk “Huge Show” from North Central. Afterward, Simonson will team with ex-Bears linebacker Mickey Pruitt on a tape-delay broadcast of the game.
“This is another great opportunity for us to show off our new stadium and the school to the Naperville community,” Juday said. The facility was host to the NCAA Division III track finals last May, and in August a crowd of 7,100 came out to watch a Fire match there.
TWO THUMBS UP
Two days before Miami coach Dave Wannstedt used this motivational ploy on his Dolphins, Libertyville coach Randy Kuceyeski took 70 of his players to watch the inspirational high school football movie “Remember The Titans.”
And just like the Dolphins, the Wildcats succeeded with a crucial victory over favored Warren.
“There’s a great message in that movie about how people react to adversity,” Kuceyeski said of the story of black and white football players eventually coming together and helping a Southern high school cope with racial integration in the early 1970s.
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“After losing to Antioch 41-6 the previous week, I felt like we needed something to pull us together,” Kuceyeski added. “That movie gave us all the right reasons to go out and play well 24 hours later.”
Libertyville’s players had to share the Vernon Hills theater with players from Stevenson’s sophomore team. What’s next for Libertyville’s film critic of a coach?
“Maybe before our next big game, I’ll call Roger Ebert and ask him to recommend another good movie,” Kuceyeski said with a laugh.
THE JAKE
Northwestern coach Randy Walker sent Plainfield’s Jake Shields tickets to last week’s game against Indiana and then spoke with the 5-11, 185-pound running back afterward. Walker might be envisioning Shields as the small-town successor to current Wildcats standout Damien Anderson of Wilmington.
Shields, who qualified for the 100-meter dash at last spring’s state track meet with a 10.5-second clocking, is running wild for No. 12 Plainfield (7-0). He has rushed for 1,037 yards and 12 touchdowns, averaging 12.4 yards per carry. Shields also has caught 17 passes for 443 yards and six TDs, averaging 26 yards per catch.
“He has incredible vision, instant acceleration and Gale Sayers-like feet,” Plainfield coach John Jackson said. “He made a run against Oswego and I didn’t have a clue how he did it. Sometimes he just skips and changes direction in mid-air. He runs a consistent 4.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash and is such a tough kid. He played with cracked ribs as a sophomore. Jake is the best football player I’ve seen in my 18 years of coaching.”