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player ready...Lake Zurich junior linebacker Arturo Zarinana doesn’t play football to blend into the scenery.
The 6-foot, 208-pound Zarinana goes full throttle on every snap but moves so deliberately that it seems like he already knows where the ball carrier is headed.
“I think it’s important to set the tone right away, especially at the start of the game or even on a drive,” he said. “It’s good to strike fear in them, almost like you’re telling them, ‘I know where you are, and I know where you’re going.’”
With Zarinana on the hunt, the Bears are going back to the second round of the state playoffs. He had a team-high 77 tackles, including five for loss, in the regular season and doesn’t appear to be slowing down.
On the first play from scrimmage in fourth-seeded Lake Zurich’s 46-13 win over 13th-seeded Grant in a Class 6A first-round game on Nov. 1, Zarinana delivered a hard hit on running back Tyler Zdon, a North Dakota commit who rushed for more 1,000 yards in three straight seasons. The Bears held Zdon to 49 yards on 19 carries.
“That was pretty special,” Zarinana said. “I didn’t think I full-on stuck him, but after watching it on film, I did. I knew exactly where it was going, and from that one play, I feel like it carried through the rest of the game.”
Zarinana’s early message wasn’t missed on the sideline.
“He brings it,” Lake Zurich coach Ron Planz said. “That’s a very good tailback, and those are two good football players meeting in the hole.
“He’s a high-energy kid, always has a smile on his face, runs everywhere and is a really good leader for our defense. The best thing about Arturo is that he’s only a junior, so we have a whole other year of having his ability to play.”
Zarinana has made other splashy plays for the Bears (8-2), who will play fifth-seeded Antioch (8-2) at home in the second round at 1 p.m. Saturday. His hit on Stevenson quarterback Aidan Crawley early in the Bears’ 49-9 North Suburban Conference win in the regular-season finale was momentum-changing, and he also returned an interception for a touchdown in that game.
Zarinana thinks he set the stage for this level of production last season, when he and classmate Brock Rubicz shared time at linebacker.
“Last year, there were a lot of nerves, and it was sometimes challenging,” Zarinana said. “Now that the experience is behind me, I realize it elevated my game.”
Zarinana is getting to the ball more quickly this season.
“A lot of times last year, I would miss my spots either lining up or getting somewhere once the play started,” he said. “My feet are a lot better, and my eyes are a lot better.”
Zarinana’s progress has impressed Lake Zurich senior tight end Gavin Shondy, who suffered a torn ACL two years ago and has worked his way back to fill a key role on the team.
“He really evolved and did his due diligence in the weight room,” Shondy said. “If you saw him as a freshman, you wouldn’t recognize him.
“He’s a soft-spoken guy who flips a switch when he gets on the field, which is bad for the opponent and good for us. People really feel it when he hits them.”
Zarinana has also become a leader for the defense, which is allowing just 10 points per game as the Bears attempt to reach the state semifinals for the third time in four seasons.
“I really enjoy making sure everyone is in the right position,” he said. “I know our keys, and I know their sets, so that allows us to get into the best possible looks for us.”
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Zarinana draws inspiration from noteworthy Chicago Bears defenses of the past.
“There was a documentary on the ’85 Bears where Mike Singletary was talking about the NFC championship game and knowing exactly where Eric Dickerson was going and he just met him in the hole,” Zarinana said.
“I love watching the ’06 Bears defense, with (Brian) Urlacher, (Lance) Briggs, Peanut Tillman. They have that tough Chicago feeling. I think we have a lot of similarities with them.”
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter.