Northwest Herald football notes: Season overlaps make hectic nights for baseball-football athletes

McHenry's Kyle Kaempf runs the kickoff back for a touchdown against Crystal Lake Central during their football game on Friday, April 9, 2021 at Crystal Lake Central High School in Crystal Lake.

Fortunately for McHenry junior Kyle Kaempf, the Warriors’ baseball team made quick work of Zion-Benton, 18-0, in five innings on Friday.

Because Kaempf had someplace else to be.

Kaempf jumped in the car with his father, Dave, and grabbed a little food on their way to Crystal Lake. Cindy Kaempf, Kyle’s mother, was already at Crystal Lake South preparing to video the football game. Once Kaempf was outside Crystal Lake South’s Ken Bruhn Field, he changed into his football uniform and joined the Warriors on the sideline.

“It was definitely weird,” Kaempf said.

Welcome to IHSA spring sports in 2021, where athletes can play two sports in the same day and might be so busy during this two-week overlap that they don’t know whether they are coming or going.

The COVID-19 pandemic thrust much of the 2020-21 high school sports scene into question. For close to three months (November through January) nothing happened. Now, everything is happening.

An abbreviated winter season was followed by an abbreviated spring season, which is now giving way to what could be closer to a normal “summer” season. A few versatile athletes, like Kaempf and Crystal Lake South’s Nate Freeze and Brady Drexler, are playing both football and baseball in the two-week overlap.

Kaempf and Freeze both consider baseball their first sport, something their football coaches respected. Thanks to the Warriors winning by the 10-run rule, McHenry baseball coach Brian Rockweiler told Kaempf, his shortstop and leadoff hitter, to leave. Kaempf only missed one series on defense.

“I’ve been playing football and baseball my whole life,” Kaempf said. “It was new to go from high school baseball right to a football game. It was a unique experience.”

Kaempf walked twice and scored twice in baseball. He picked off a pass in the end zone in the football game, which the Warriors won 48-37. He also played in a baseball doubleheader on Saturday, giving him three baseball and one football game in less than 24 hours.

“It’s crazy,” Warriors football coach Jon Niemic said. “He played on offense too. His first passion is baseball. He said when (baseball) games started, he would shift his attention that way. I totally support him. It’s just one of those things you have to adapt to.”

Freeze got a hit in the Gators’ 5-4 loss to Schaumburg, then he and Drexler left for football. Both games were at South, so all they had to do was go inside and switch uniforms.

“I wouldn’t call it hard,” said Freeze, who had four catches for 37 yards in football. “I love every second of those practices. It would be hard if the coaches weren’t understanding. They’ve been really good about it.”

Freeze, an outfielder in baseball and wide receiver-defensive end in football, will play baseball at Iowa Western, a junior college, next year.

Kaempf likely will miss the start of the football game this week. The baseball team plays at 5 p.m. in Rockton against Hononegah; the football team hosts Burlington Central at 6.

Freeze and Drexler, who had a single and an RBI, play against Woodstock Friday in a 4:30 p.m. baseball game, then will try to join the football team for its final game, which starts at 6 p.m. at Dundee-Crown.

“It’s a really good opportunity,” Freeze said. “I wouldn’t want to be missing any more since both seasons are cut short. It’s something not many people have done and I’m going to remember it the rest of my life.”

Getting better: Cary-Grove missed Weeks 2 and 3 under COVID-19 quarantine and now finds itself playing for the FVC title at Huntley on Friday.

The Trojans made a huge offensive jump from Week 4 to 5, rolling up 412 total yards in their 42-14 win over Crystal Lake Central.

Fullback Nick Hissong carried the majority of the load in C-G’s first two victories. On Friday, the Trojans had a more balanced attack. Backup fullback Colin Desmet had 85, Hissong had 73, quarterback Jameson Sheehan had 58 and running back Wade Abrams ran for 46 yards.

“Our execution was better,” Trojans coach Brad Seaburg said. “If this was the regular season, this would be our third game and we, hopefully, would progress throughout the year. This is a weird year. That’s our goal every year to improve every week.”

Sheehan also threw for 108 yards, more than his first two games combined. Wide receiver Zack LaBrec caught four passes for 77 yards and a touchdown.

“It was awesome,” Sheehan said of getting to throw more. “I’ve been working on it for a while. With this off time, you get to really love practice. How much you really love the game. It felt great. It opens up everything.”

C-G will find its biggest test on Friday with a Huntley defense that has allowed 32 points in five games.

‘Defending’ champs: Richmond-Burton could have gone a long way toward winning another Class 4A state championship if the 2020-21 school year had a regular season with state playoffs.

The Rockets (5-0) have another potent offense, but they again have one of the top defenses anywhere, led by defensive end Jacob Petersen and linebacker Nick Legnaioli.

R-B, which was 14-0 in 2019, has allowed 108 points in its last 19 games. With three more shutouts this season, the Rockets have eight shutouts in the last two seasons.

Statistical oddity: Prairie Ridge quarterback Taidhgin Trost threw a 98-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Will Komar in the Wolves’ 20-7 loss at Cary-Grove in Week 4.

On Saturday, Harlem quarterback James Cooper Jr. hit wide receiver Dez Jordan with a 98-yard score.

Not many teams can say they ever were involved in game with a 98-yard touchdown. Prairie Ridge has seen it in back-to-back weeks.