Workouts, camps and overall busy summer for Sycamore WR Carter York

SYCAMORE – The Sycamore football team reached the second round of the playoffs last year, the fifth straight postseason in which the Spartans made it that far.

But it was also the first postseason since 2019 they didn’t make the semifinals, and the first since 2018 they didn’t reach a quarterfinal. So the goal, senior receiver and safety Carter York said, is to build upon that success.

“We have to try and run it back for all the people who didn’t get a chance to win it all,” York said. “We’re really trying to get back there.”

York has spent the summer participating in team activities with the Spartans while traveling the country attending various college camps, including ones at Dartmouth and Brown.

He said he has one main offer so far, a preferred walk-on opportunity with Illinois. But he expects more to follow.

“It’s been pretty busy,” York said. “I’ve been to a lot of camps, spent a lot of hours driving and flying. It’s just a lot of work.

Last season, the 6-foot, 187-pound receiver had a team-best 20 catches for 401 yards and four touchdowns. He also finished with 46 tackles, two interceptions and a forced fumble on defense at safety.

“Every day I’m just trying to get a little bit better,” York said. “Every day, every rep here, on both sides of the ball try to get better.”

York said one of the focal points of the summer has been leadership, especially since he’s entering his senior season. Sycamore coach Joe Ryan said York has always had a strong work ethic, but now he’s adding a vocal aspect that is making a difference.

Ryan said high school teams are dependent on strong senior leaders, and York is becoming another in a long line of them for the Spartans.

“He’s always one of those guys you didn’t know if it was game day or practice,” Ryan said. “He went hard in everything he ever did but maybe didn’t talk through it as much and maybe didn’t bring other people along with him. This year he’s doing the same thing – you don’t know whether it’s a game or a practice – but he’s bringing other people along with him. That’s the next step of being a leader.”

On offense, York is part of a deep wide receiver group that includes Aidan Wyzard, Colton Sharpness and transfer Josiah Mitchell. That gives a lot of targets for second-year starting quarterback Burke Gautcher, a senior.

Sycamore has been flexible on offense the past few seasons, lining up in anything from the wing-T to a spread. Ryan said this year’s team can stretch the field horizontally and vertically.

“We have some guys we have to utilize and will utilize on the perimeter,” Ryan said. “It’s a little bit different. But what we do offensively, we have it within our structure. Sometimes we use different things. Well, now we’re on to a different thing. We might be a little more spread with these guys. It depends. But the wing is still there. It’s not going anywhere.”