For many high school football players, the postseason brings with it a severe case of nerves. Nazareth’s Michael Love is not one of them.
“He’s a great teammate, very positive, keeps things light, which we need because guys put a lot of pressure on themselves in the playoffs, and he doesn’t,” Nazareth coach Tim Racki said. “He’s a positive force in the locker room, making guys laugh and being encouraging. Those intangibles he brings as a leader are more important to me.”
His on-field contributions are quite significant, too. Love, a junior from Elmhurst, caught a career-high three touchdown passes in the Roadrunners’ 54-18 win over Danville in the second round of the Class 6A playoffs on Saturday in La Grange Park.
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Second-seeded Nazareth (10-1) advanced to the quarterfinals and will play at sixth-seeded Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin (9-2) next week. The Roadrunners are trying to win their third state title in four years.
The 5-foot-10, 165-pound Love plays wide receiver, running back, cornerback, safety and kick returner.
“We always want to get him touches because he’s a special player,” Racki said.
Against seventh-seeded Danville, Love had five receptions for 121 yards. His 24-yard scoring catch made it 14-0 in the first quarter.
“I like playing slot receiver, making plays happen,” Love said. “I like playing defense, but on offense you can make more plays.”
Love added a 42-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter and a 23-yard scoring catch in the fourth against the Vikings (8-3).
“Mike is a great athlete, and I assumed he was going to beat his man right off the ball and he was open every time,” Roadrunners senior quarterback Bobby Grimes said. “He’s not very tall, but he can jump, get up and get any ball.”
Love is the younger brother Julian Love, who also was a three-way standout for the Roadrunners. Now a sophomore cornerback at Notre Dame, Julian Love was named the Pioneer Press All-Area Offensive Player of the Year in both 2014 and 2015.
“We were never competitive with each other in football,” Michael Love said. “We’d battle playing video games, but he was more of an inspiration. He’d help me by telling me and doing his own thing on the field. I watched him growing up and he was a great role model. He means a lot to me.”
Racki stressed that the brothers are two different people and Michael Love isn’t playing in his brother’s shadow.
“There’s none of that, ‘I have to be like you,'” Racki said. “He’s blossoming on his own. He’s Michael Love, not Julian Love’s brother.”
In the regular season, Michael Love had 434 all-purpose yards from scrimmage with four touchdowns, and seven kickoff returns for 213 yards, a 30.4 average. On defense, he made 33 tackles, forced a pair of fumbles and recovered one.
“He plays with passion, he’s smart, has great vision,” Nazareth running backs coach Rudy Luna said. “The things he sees on the field, I don’t know if many athletes that play this game can see some of the things he sees.”
While Michael Love does not have any scholarship offers, Racki believes it is only a matter of time.
“He will (get offers),” Racki said. “I know a lot of MAC schools have been pounding down the door. He’s going to land somewhere.”
Bob Hurst is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Twitter @Pioneer_Press