Naperville North senior tight end Finn Bretag enjoys being a big target, even it means enduring some big hits.
The 6-foot-3, 225-pound Illinois State commit absorbed some tough shots during the Huskies’ 20-17 Southwest Valley Blue loss to Lockport on Friday, but he bounced back to his feet each time, seemingly none the worse for wear.
Bretag was asked after the game how he was feeling.
“I feel great,” Bretag said. “I love contact, so getting hit, if it gets the team a couple extra yards, I’ll send my soul for that.”
That was an interesting choice of words, especially considering the assessment by Naperville North senior defensive lineman Gabriel Hill, an Indiana recruit.
“He’s a really tough kid,” Hill said. “He brings a lot of energy and is just really focused. He likes to bring up people, likes to have fun. He’s kind of like the soul of the team a little bit.”
Bretag had just a bit role, which he described as “the fourth checkdown option,” in the Huskies’ high-powered passing offense last season. Now he’s the first option on many plays and is one of senior quarterback Josiah Nothacker’s most trusted targets.
“That’s what I want,” Bretag said. “I want to be the person that we look to when we need something.”
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Bretag was there when the Huskies (2-3, 1-2) needed him against Lockport. He finished with seven catches for 61 yards, including two crucial plays in the final seconds to keep the team’s hopes alive.
The first was a leaping 15-yard catch on the right sideline. He took a huge blow but held the ball with four seconds remaining.
Then Bretag made a 4-yard catch and scampered out of bounds with one second left, setting up senior kicker Leo Taylor’s potential game-tying 56-yard field-goal attempt, which barely missed.
“We needed a big play,” Bretag said. “I love being the person the team looks to when they need big plays.
“Coach told me, ‘You gotta make a play on the ball. We need you in this situation.’ So I just did what I had to do to put our team in the best position to win.”
Nothacker said Bretag is his safety valve and first option on short- and medium-range throws, while junior wide receiver Jack Zitko is the top deep threat. Bretag has 193 receiving yards on a team-high 23 receptions.
“He’s great,” Nothacker said. “He’s tough in practice. Coach (Sean) Drendel has to limit him sometimes in practice, but he’s a tough kid. Over the middle, he had that one play he got hit pretty hard. It’s like it didn’t affect him.”
There is a reason for that. Bretag focused on increasing his size and speed during the offseason, when he joined the track team. He said he gained 20 pounds of muscle and lowered his 40-yard time from 4.8 seconds to 4.5 seconds.
“My goal was to be the best receiver I could possibly be for my team this year and being such a dominant blocker that we could run the ball really well and do whatever we need,” Bretag said. “I’m like a Swiss Army knife.”
That’s not hyperbole. Bretag contributes in a variety of ways for the Huskies, who have used him to return kickoffs. He’s had five for 102 yards, including a 35-yarder against Lockport.
“He’s one of our faster players, so when you have that type of kid, you know you’re going to try to use him as much as possible,” Drendel said. “We probably haven’t used him as much as we would have liked.”
Drendel said that will change.
“He really took a step forward, last week especially,” Drendel said. “Probably the part that’s most impressive this year is his blocking. He really needed to upgrade that, and he worked hard at it and did a great job.
“He’s a really good athlete, an impressive young man who works really hard at his craft.”
That work ethic is rubbing off on the Huskies, who are gradually improving while playing a tough schedule.
“We’ve came together so well since the beginning of the summer,” Bretag said. “I’ve seen this team grow an exponential amount. I can continue to see it keep growing, so we’re going to finish out the season really well.
“We’re going to fight for everything we can get.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.