Libertyville junior quarterback Riley Lees took his time hugging his teammates. Emotions were at their highest and tears were plentiful.
But following Saturday’s 41-7 Class 7A semifinal loss to Cary-Grove, a game that saw the explosive Lees held to his lowest offensive output all season, the loss couldn’t take the luster off one of the great seasons in Wildcat football history.
“We can’t be ashamed of anything we’ve done this year,” Lees said. “Everyone doubted us. We played for ourselves early on. Even our fellow students, the first couple of games nobody was there. When they realized we were a good team and then they believed in us. We played with a chip on our shoulder to prove every day that we were willing to work hard and that we were legit.”
Lees gave all credit to the current crop of seniors who decided that last year’s 4-5 record wasn’t good enough and set out to make a difference. What the seniors needed for the culture change was a leader. And they found one in Lees.
“We were 4-5 last year and the kids that are seniors decided they wanted to change some things,” Libertyville coach Mike Jones said. “They wanted to change the culture around here, set out to do it and did it.
“Riley’s not a really verbal leader, but the kids see how hard he works and everything he does to prepare himself to play and it pushes everyone else to take that extra step too. He’s just an awesome kid.”
Who had an awesome season by any individual’s standards. Lees finished the season with more than 1,800 rushing yards, almost 1,500 passing and 45 touchdowns. His three-yard score in the second quarter against Cary came after a 90-yard drive that drew the Wildcats to within 13-7.
“In the offseason, during baseball, it started with morning lifts,” Lees said of early morning weight lifting workouts. “Yeah, it stinks to get up that early in the morning and lift, but I kept telling the guys it would be worth it. I know guys follow me so I lead by example. I’m not the hooping-hollering leader. I’m pretty quiet before games. But I play my hardest and my teammates see that and I think they follow.”
It certainly seemed to be the case this season, where the Wildcats finished 9-4, with two of the losses coming at the hands of teams playing this upcoming weekend for state championships — Stevenson and Cary-Grove.
More Top Picks Best Cuddle Swings For Autistic Adults
“This was the most fun season I’ve ever had,” Lees said. “And I couldn’t have done it without the other guys out here. I got all the numbers and the glory, but I couldn’t have done it without them. Without the guys blocking up front, the wide receivers holding their blocks, the running backs with their hard fakes, drawing the defense.
“I couldn’t have done it without them.”