Marengo basketball star Zach Knobloch eager to return to football field

Zach Knobloch spent one year concentrating on basketball and turned in the most prolific 3-point-shooting season in IHSA history.

Knobloch craves shooting. He can’t get enough of it.

But the Marengo senior also embraces competition and decided to come back for one more football season with his friends this fall. As a sophomore in 2013, Knobloch started at quarterback for the last six games after Ethan Walsweer was injured.

“It’s going well,” Knobloch said of football. “It’s only been about a week. It’s all coming back. I just like competing [in football].”

The Indians welcome back Knobloch, who could give them a speedy, accurate and experienced quarterback. Not many teams can graduate their starting quarterback (Walsweer) and still have a starter returning (Knobloch).

Indians coach Matt Lynch would not look too far ahead regarding the starting quarterback job. Knobloch, last year’s backup Kurt McMackin and two other players are competing for the position in summer workouts.

“Right now, we’re in such preliminary stages that it’s not fair to talk about anything,” Lynch said. “They’re all working their butts off and competing to get a shot at their opportunity. I don’t want to talk about anything yet. Right now we’re just getting ready.”

Lynch said the Indians’ workouts will intensify this week.

“[Knobloch] is a great kid,” Lynch said. “He’s in the mix. We’ll have a decent speed team. I can’t tell you what we got or who we got or any of that stuff, it’s still a long summer.”

Naturally, there are injury concerns with Knobloch and football. He led the Indians basketball team to a 27-6 record, tied for second-best in school history, and will head up another team poised for a big season.

“You can get hurt doing anything,” Knobloch said.

Indians boys basketball coach Nate Wright applauds Knobloch for the decision.

“I am 100 percent in support of multisport athletes,” Wright said. “Our athletes are athletes and need to be playing other sports. If we worry about injuries too much, we don’t let the kids have the full, great experience of playing high school sports. Playing under pressure every Friday night is only going to make him that much better when the (basketball) season rolls around.”

Knobloch believes the weightlifting will help him, while Wright thinks football’s physical side will prepare Knobloch well for teams trying to bump and knock him around in basketball.

“He’s making the right choice playing football with his friends,” Wright said. “Hopefully, he enjoys a good senior year on the football field and then he can get ready for basketball.”

Knobloch is a shoot-aholic, so chances are he will not let football limit the time he spends in the gym every day. He said he spends three hours a day on basketball – two shooting and one ballhandling – which explains his IHSA-record 167 3-pointers made last season.

He made 42.6 percent on 3s last season, averaged 22.4 points a game and was the Northwest Herald Boys Basketball Player of the Year.

“Coach Lynch lets me shoot before [practice] and afterwards, so that’s good,” Knobloch said.

Knobloch is not certain what level of college basketball he will end up playing. Few players anywhere can shoot like him, but some NCAA Division I teams may not consider the 6-footer tall enough. He has heard lately from Cornell (Ivy League), along with D-II schools Wisconsin-Parkside, Grand Valley (Michigan) State and Minnesota-Duluth.

“It’s been kind of slow,” Knobloch said. “Usually in July [recruiting] picks up.”

Knobloch, meanwhile, will have plenty to do over the rest of the summer.

“He’ll find a way to get a basketball in his hands,” Wright said. “I’m sure that’s one of the things he and Coach Lynch have talked about.”