Junior quarterback Danny Strelow has discovered how to command his team for Oak Lawn without even needing to raise his voice. And part of that comes from past experience.
While Strelow displays toughness, poise and competitive instincts, he also realizes that he can rely upon nine starters returning on offense, including four on the all-important offensive line.
“They all know what they’re doing,” Strelow said. “I don’t really have to push anyone.
“Last year, the defensive linemen moved really fast, but now that I know what’s going on with our offense, everything’s slowed down and we all just click with each other.”
Strelow got things clicking Friday night, throwing two touchdown passes and running for two more TDs for the host Spartans in a convincing 48-14 South Suburban Red win over Reavis.
Senior running back Jayden Schlosser added 214 yards and three TDs for Oak Lawn (3-0, 1-0), but Strelow again turned heads directing a high-powered attack averaging 55.3 points a game.
Senior defensive back Hendryx Goetz believes Strelow provides that spark for the Spartans.
“Danny’s the biggest leader we have on the team,” Goetz said. “You think, looking at him, he’s a small guy, but he takes huge hits. He always gets the team right.
“Against Reavis, he scrambled out and picked up about 20 extra yards. He had a pass to Jayden nobody thought he’d make down the sideline for a huge gain. He’s just a playmaker.”
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Strelow isn’t the only prodigious passer in his family. His younger sister Evelyn, a sophomore, is the starting quarterback for Oak Lawn’s girls flag football team.
“She’s really good at what she does,” Danny said of Evelyn, who also plays varsity softball.
Evelyn has seven TDs passing and three TDs rushing for the Spartans (3-0).
“When they asked me why I wanted to be a quarterback, I told them I wanted to be just like Danny,” Evelyn said. “He’s definitely an inspiration. He gives me tips. I wouldn’t be the player I am without him.
“Danny is very laid-back but extremely competitive when it comes to sports. You see that when goes on the field because he becomes a natural leader. He hates losing more than he loves winning.”
Strelow completed 9 of 12 passes for 229 yards against Reavis (2-1, 0-1). He also ran for 41 yards on five carries.
Two years ago as a freshman, he watched the Spartans go through a miserable 0-9 season.
“Our school didn’t even care about us,” Strelow said. “A lot of the seniors who were sophomores on that 0-9 team hated everything about it and they wanted to change.
“We flipped the script last summer, started winning some games and then the school had our back. Everybody wanted to do well.”
That summer, Strelow took over at quarterback after the presumed starter, a senior, suffered a season-ending knee injury. He helped manufacture the turnaround by starting every game last year, leading the Spartans to a 7-3 record and a berth in the Class 6A state playoffs.
Interestingly enough, baseball was his first love. In the spring, Strelow excelled as a middle infielder for a conference championship team. He batted .330 with 33 hits, 23 runs and 19 RBIs.
The only person he needed to convince about playing football was his mother, who feared the injury risk. He first exhibited great promise playing with the Oak Lawn Renegades.
“I was born with a bat in my hand, but my baseball coach in seventh grade said I had really good feet, a strong arm, and I was smart,” he said. “I was a natural.
“My second year with the Renegades, we won the Super Bowl and I just knew I could do this.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.