Hersey’s Logan Farrell joked that he’s no longer in his father’s shadow, literally.
The 6-foot-3, 235-pound junior is taller than his 6-2 father, Jim, who was a star wide receiver for Fremd and Western Illinois before playing in three exhibition games for the Chicago Bears.
“I got bigger than him and probably passed him up in my freshman year,” Logan Farrell said with a smile. “He might have me on old-man strength, though. He can still throw around some weight in the weight room.”
But Logan Farrell, a tight end and defensive end, knows how to throw his weight around on the field.
On Saturday night, he made just one catch for 13 yards but caused havoc as a pass rusher in fourth-seeded Hersey’s 28-19 victory against 29th-seeded Wheaton Warrenville South in a Class 7A first-round playoff game in Arlington Heights.
The Huskies (10-0) rolled to the victory behind star senior running back Nasir McKenzie, who had three touchdown runs, to advance to a second-round game at home against 13th-seeded Downers Grove North (8-2).
Jim Farrell, who has spent 25 years coaching in the Mid-Suburban League in some capacity and coaches the tight ends for the Huskies, said he has enjoyed watching his son develop into an elite talent.
“For me, to be coaching so long and getting a chance to experience coaching and helping my son means everything to me,” Jim Farrell said. “I always tell Logan to always work harder. He’s a big fish in a small pond. I tell him to keep grinding and working hard. The small things add up to big things.”
Logan Farrell, who made 24 catches for 387 yards and seven touchdowns during the regular season, is doing big things for Hersey. Against the Tigers, he made an obvious impact on defense with his nonstop motor and recovered an onside kick late in the fourth quarter. He said it all began with his father.
“My dad doesn’t talk that much about his career,” Logan Farrell said. “He likes to think he’s done what he’s already done, so his job is focusing on helping me to succeed and do the best I can.
“There’s no better role model I can look up to than him. He’s already done it and knows what it takes to be successful. At a young age, he always told me he believed in me and I could do it.”
Logan Farrell is attracting attention from Power Five programs. He has nine offers: Illinois, Cincinnati, Coastal Carolina, Duke, Louisville, Miami of Ohio, North Carolina, Ohio and Syracuse.
“As a kid, I was just dreaming of playing Division I football, and I’ve been fortunate and blessed enough to be around the right people to help me get better,” he said. “I started the recruiting process at the end of eighth grade, then started doing the one-day camps. I was doing USA Football one-day camps, and from there I started getting the mentality to not be afraid of going against anybody.”
Hersey junior quarterback Colton Gumino said Logan Farrell is an unusual talent.
“I go way back with Logan,” Gumino said. “He’s a Power Five tight end. Not many tight ends in Illinois have his size and can block and run. He can do whatever. That’s why he has all those schools looking at him. He’s a hard worker and also does all the little things right.”
Hersey coach Tom Nelson said Logan Farrell’s athleticism causes fits for opposing teams trying to plan for the Huskies.
“Logan is a really talented player, but it’s also very rare in high school to find a true Y tight end, somebody who can play in the line and have the receiving skills of a receiver,” Nelson said. “Obviously, colleges really value that. It’s been great for me to have someone like that, so we can change our offense when we have a real tight end. It’s been really fun using him in unique ways.”
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Logan Farrell, who placed ninth in the shot put and 15th in the discus at the Class 3A state meet in the spring, said he’s focusing on the remainder of his junior season but is excited about his future. His success in the classroom — he said he has a 4.33 GPA — helps expand his recruiting.
“I can’t wait to see what the offseason holds and am just trying to continue to get better next year,” he said.
Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.