Jayden Reed had many motivations as he zigzagged toward the end zone last Friday.
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The Metea Valley junior wide receiver wished to keep his team’s playoff hopes alive.
He heard the words of his coach’s pointed halftime speech and wanted to prove himself.
Most of all, Reed hoped to make his dad proud.
Reed’s father, Sabian, passed away from kidney failure a year ago.
“Every play I think about him,” Reed said. “I just want to make him happy.”
Dad would smile over this effort.
Taking a bubble screen during the second half at Lake Park, Reed cut back across the field and hurdled a defender. Reed raced down the left sideline, twice stutter-stepping to let tacklers go by as he tight-roped the sideline for a spectacular 62-yard touchdown to clinch a 27-19 win.
“I didn’t realize I was that close to the sideline until I saw the video,” said Reed, who said he’s watched the replay about 100 times.
Reed’s electric moves are nothing new.
Also a starting cornerback for Metea (2-4), he has 14 receptions and averanges 18 yards a catch. Reed caught a 51-yard TD against Naperville Central.
“He’s explosive when he gets the ball in his hands,” Metea coach Ben Kleinhans said. “Not only is he fast, but he’s tough to tackle.”
Reed’s been doing it since his dad started him in Pop Warner football in Oak Park. The Reeds moved to Plainfield when Jayden was in junior high, then to District 204 before his freshman year.
Even as Sabian went through dialysis his last two years, he was a fixture at games.
“He taught me a lot,” Jayden said. “I don’t think he played, but he enjoyed watching me.”
Sabian passed away Sept. 13, 2015. The day before his funeral, Jayden played in a game for Metea.
“That’s what my dad would want,” Reed said.
Reed still prays to his dad before every game. Then he looks to make a play for him.
“He’s an amazing young man who’s been through tragedy most kids his age don’t,” Kleinhans said. “The way he’s handled it, he’s winning it in everything he does.”
Rhattigan recruiting: The college offers are coming in for Neuqua Valley senior Jon Rhattigan.
On Monday, Princeton joined Southern Illinois in offering Neuqua’s middle linebacker. Rhattigan’s older brother, Joey, is a senior running back for the Tigers.
“I’m still pretty open, although that changed things a little bit,” Rhattigan said. “I’m going to make my official visits sometime after the season.”
Rhattigan’s made a huge impact this fall in returning from a torn ACL. He leads Neuqua (6-0) in tackles with 53.
Neuqua’s linebackers, collectively, put up eye-popping numbers in last Friday’s 35-20 win over Naperville North.
Anthony Ippolito had 17 tackles, Casey Larson added 16 and Rhattigan had 12.
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“I’m not sure I’ve seen Jon miss a tackle all year,” Neuqua coach Bill Ellinghaus said. “They’ve been outstanding.”
Warrior turnover woes: Waubonsie Valley coach Paul Murphy only needs a glance at the stat sheet to offer why his team is 3-3.
“Turnovers,” Murphy said. “We’ve been turning the ball over in our losses. In our wins we haven’t turned it over.”
In Waubonsie’s three wins, the Warriors committed just two turnovers, but in the losses it’s 10. The Warriors had three turnovers in the second half of last Friday’s 39-32 loss to Wheaton Warrenville South.
“It’s guys trying to do too much and it’s costing us,” Murphy said.
The Warriors need two more wins to become playoff eligible, and the road isn’t easy.
The next two weeks, Waubonsie gets Fishers (Ind.) Hamilton Southeastern on the road and hosts Naperville North. Both teams have just one loss.
“They score a ton of points,” Murphy said of Friday’s opponent, located 30 miles northeast of Indianapolis. “Hopefully the competition we play in the DVC has us ready.”
Joshua Welge is a freelance writer for the Naperville Sun.