As a sophomore quarterback, Wauconda’s Logan Olsen feels the pressure. But he also realizes he isn’t alone.
The Bulldogs’ Northern Lake County Conference home game against Grant on Friday was a case in point. Late in the third quarter, Wauconda senior Shane Svoboda intercepted a pass at Grant’s 30-yard line and returned it to the 15.
The 5-foot-9, 150-pound Olsen ran onto the field with an opportunity to put the game away and threw a touchdown pass to junior Connor Vanselow. Perhaps most significant is how Olsen did it.
Chris Prostka, Wauconda’s first-year coach, wanted to weave in some misdirection. But Grant blitzed, flushing Olsen out of the pocket. He avoided a tackle and then found Vanselow — who is normally a decoy on that play — along the sideline. Wauconda won 17-9.
Olsen said players like Svoboda, Vanselow, junior Zac Johnson and seniors Chase Groelle, Tyler Schmidt and Nick Smith have helped make his transition to varsity football something to be embraced and not feared.
“A lot of the older kids have encouraged me and have been very supportive, and that definitely helps,” Olsen said. “Everybody’s been there, and it’s a good atmosphere.”
Olsen was alluding, at least in part, to Wauconda’s remarkable regular season last fall. The Bulldogs went 9-0, winning the NLCC, before losing to Prairie Ridge in the second round of the Class 6A playoffs. Senior quarterback Vince Bennett had 12 touchdown passes and 16 rushing touchdowns.
Olsen has succeeded the 5-8, 155-pound Bennett and so far has matched him in the column that counts the most. The Bulldogs (4-0, 2-0) are tied for first place in the NLCC.
“He knew he had a big role to step into,” Vanselow said. “He definitely tries to control the game as much as he can. Being a young quarterback, he needs to still feel the game more, but he’s doing great.”
Olsen has five touchdown passes and one rushing touchdown through four games.
“I think, for his age, he’s a great quarterback,” Svoboda said. “Considering he’s not the biggest kid on the field, he does a great job.”
There was a time when Olsen was bigger than most, however. When he started playing football in seventh grade, he was a lineman.
“I was too heavy to play anything else,” he said.
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A year later, amid the coronavirus pandemic, Olsen didn’t get to play. He was on Wauconda’s freshman/sophomore team last season.
Now he has the keys to the Bulldogs offense, and the early returns are promising.
“He’s not a towering figure, and Vince wasn’t tall either,” Prostka said. “They both can run the option very well. At this stage, Logan doesn’t run as much as Vince did. But in the future, I would expect something more.”
More challenges loom for Olsen and the Bulldogs, who have back-to-back road games at Grayslake Central (3-1, 1-1) and Antioch (2-2, 2-0). He has high expectations for himself.
“Just be the best quarterback out there, the best quarterback the school has seen, and help the team advance as far as possible,” he said.
Gregg Voss is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.