When Naperville North junior linebacker Jake Brooks wants to get away, he heads outdoors.
“I love to go camping,” he said. “I spend a lot of time in nature.”
Much of that time is spent at the Nordhouse Dunes Wilderness, which is a part of the Manistee National Forest in Michigan. It’s located on the shore of Lake Michigan just north of Ludington and not far from Traverse City, where Brooks’ grandparents live.
“Me and my friends go,” Brooks said. “My whole family is up there, so we’re a pretty big nature family.”
Those trips don’t include hunting. But opposing running backs and receivers have a hard time evading the 5-foot-11, 210-pound Brooks.
“The thing that Jakes does is he attacks,” Naperville North defensive coordinator Chris Arthurs said. “He sees people, and he’s flying to the ball.”
Indeed, Brooks is enjoying a breakout season in his second varsity year for the Huskies (6-1, 4-0), who have qualified for the playoffs and lead the DuPage Valley Conference. Part of what Naperville North coach Sean Drendel calls “our two-headed monster” alongside senior linebacker John Lyons, Brooks has recorded 31 tackles, including seven for loss, and a team-high four interceptions.
Brooks had his first fumble recovery of the season against DeKalb last week. It set up the Huskies’ fourth touchdown in a 42-14 DuPage Valley Conference victory that extended their winning streak to six games. They’ve allowed 9.8 points per game during that span.
“He’s been making plays for us all year,” Arthurs said of Brooks. “He had two picks against Barrington. He studies film, he practices hard and all those things lead to great results on Friday.”
Brooks, who is third on the team in tackles behind Lyons and senior defensive back Brady Marino, said there is no secret to his success.
“It all starts with the offseason, right?” Brooks said. “Me and John both had really good offseasons. We worked together and pushed the team. The defense is so good because we pay attention to details in the offseason.”
The details of the defense’s performance against DeKalb were remarkable. The Huskies’ starting unit allowed only 123 yards of offense in just under three quarters of action.
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“We knew this team was going to run,” Brooks said. “It’s our homecoming — we wanted to come out hot. We didn’t come out as hot as we wanted to, but in the second half, we came out, punched the ball a little more, and it paid off.”
The Huskies forced three turnovers, including fumble recoveries by Brooks and Lyons, who returned his 30 yards for a touchdown.
Lyons loves playing with Brooks, who also handles the punting and kickoff duties. Brooks is averaging 36.3 yards per punt, and 14 of his 33 kickoffs have resulted in touchbacks.
“Jake’s an unbelievable athlete, and I truly believe that he can play any position on the field,” Lyons said. “Seriously, him playing linebacker, I think it’s not even showing off what he can do because he’s so fast and he’s super athletic.
“Hopefully he gets his hands on more passes and he can show off his wheels.”
Brooks has accomplished a lot by getting his hands on ball carriers.
“He plays linebacker like a running back,” Lyons said. “The way he fills gaps rather than a running back hitting gaps is amazing. That’s what helps him stop the run and make these explosive plays, and his hitting power is unbelievable. He can blow through guys, so it’s awesome.”
Brooks’ football ability is not hereditary, unlike his love of nature.
“My uncles were all soccer players and wrestlers, but I’m pretty much the first football guy,” he said. “My dad was probably 140 pounds coming out of high school. I was always pretty big, but definitely working out is paying off.”
That’s true for both Brooks and the Huskies.
“He wants to play college football,” Arthurs said. “I think with his experience, his size and his strength, he’s got that ability.”
Brooks also has an affinity for the sport. He played basketball and baseball when he was younger but had given up both by the end of his freshman year to focus on football.
“I just love the passion of the game,” he said. “The more work you put in, the more you get out of it.”
What will the Huskies get from their efforts this season?
“We can make a really good run,” Brooks said. “I don’t see why we couldn’t go to a state championship, so I think it’s as long as our attitude takes us.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.