High school football: Cary-Grove fullback Pennington on track to be great

CARY— As Cary-Grove fullback Tyler Pennington burst past the goal line Saturday in the Trojans’ Class 7A semifinal victory over Libertyville, the student section packed into the bleachers just behind the end zone broke out into a cheer.

“He’s a sophomore! He’s a sophomore! He’s a sophomore!”

The way Pennington played, the Wildcats probably needed some reminding. He finished the 41-7 blowout victory with 19 carries for 117 yards and four touchdowns. Yes, four.

"It's my favorite cheer," Pennington smiled.

He's been hearing it a lot lately.

Through 13 games, the 5-foot-10, 195-pound back has carried the ball 233 times for more than 1,600 yards and 32 touchdowns. With a quick first step, power to shed tackles and a formidable offensive line, he’s well on pace to rush for more than 5,000 yards in his career and become the leading rusher in Cary-Grove history.

But the scariest statistic about Pennington, as the student section well knows, is his age. At just 15 years old, he doesn’t even have his driver's license.

"We've got the best fullback in the nation," senior lineman Trevor Ruhland blurted out during a team dinner last week.

The C-G coaching staff knew there was something special about Pennington the first day of his freshman year. Under the warm summer sun of training camp, Pennington was assigned to the scout team defense and was flying around making tackles.

“He stuck a couple of us,” senior running back/safety Matt Sutherland remembers.

The coaches promoted Pennington to the sophomore team, but they were hesitant to move him all the way up because of the physicality of varsity football.

In Seaburg’s 14 years with the program, he can remember just two or three athletes who played on the varsity team. The 175-pound freshman who couldn’t bench much more than his own body weight didn’t seem like the most-likely candidate.

The more Seaburg watched Pennington in practice, though, the more the coach decided he deserved a shot.

“I kept saying to (defensive coordinator Don Sutherland), you’ve got to look at this Tyler kid,” Seaburg said. “He’s really getting after it.”

Week 1, Pennington got his opportunity on the defensive line against Wheaton North and graded out the highest of all of the Trojans at his position. After a couple injuries, he moved to strong safety and slot for Weeks 2 and 3.

Then, in Week 4 against Dundee-Crown, he lined up at fullback. His first carry, a straight give up the middle, Pennington busted off a 31-yard run.

“I didn’t really know what to do, honestly,” Pennington said. “I just kind of ran.”

He finished the game with 17 carries for 131 yards and two touchdowns. The Trojans had a new fullback.

“That’s where he’s been since,” Seaburg said.

In eight games as a running back, Pennington rushed more than 1,000 yards and was named All-Fox Valley Conference.

Still, he knew he had room for improvement.

He packed on 20 pounds of muscle through weight training in the offseason while increasing his bench press to 230 pounds, his clean to 205 and his squat to 350. The added strength is evident on the field. He’s getting through holes faster and ins’t getting caught in the open field the way he sometimes did as a freshman.

But more than the strength Pennington gained, quarterback Jason Gregoire credits the sophomore’s football intelligence for his continued improvement.

“He doesn’t run a 4.4 40. But he’s smarter than (other backs),” Gregoire said. “He understands when to cut it back, when to bounce it out, how to read blocks, where the hole is going to be.”

During the Trojans’ postseason run, Pennington has become too valuable to take off the field. He’s earned a spot at linebacker, where he intercepted a pass in the second round victory over St. Charles North.

Never fazed by the big stage, Pennington has relished the opportunity to contribute in a variety of ways.

“The more they trust me, the more work I have to put in,” Pennington said. “It means the expectation is higher and that means I’m looked for to do more. It means I need to work harder in the weight room and study.”

Where does Pennington go from here?

Ask 2006 Cary-Grove graduate Alex Kube. In high school, he was Class 6A all-state selection and the 2006 Northwest Herald Player of the Year and went on to earn Freshman All-American Honors and First Team All-MAC honors at at Northern Illinois University.

He has trained Pennington for the past three seasons and credits the sophomore's maturity and humility for his success.

“I will tell you that he has an opportunity to probably be the best player who has ever come out of that school,” Kube said. “He really does.”

Just imagine what the student section will chant by the time Pennington is a senior.