Speedy Sycamore receiver corps adds explosive element for Spartans

SYCAMORE – Sycamore coach Joe Ryan said this year’s squad is the fastest he’s seen with the Spartans.

A good chunk of that speed comes at the receiver corps, which features state-qualifying sprinter Aidan Wyzard and fellow track standout Colton Sharpness. Throw in junior transfer Josiah Mitchell and returning No. 1 receiver Carter York, and there’s a lot of speed and experience for quarterback Burke Gautcher.

“We have a lot of playmakers out wide so we’re going to look to use them a lot,” Gautcher said. “It’s going to be fun just working them and hoping they can run the routes and everything can just come all together.”

And the speed doesn’t stop at receiver. Like Wyzard, Dylan Hodges is a senior and a state-qualifying sprinter for the Sycamore track team. He’s expected to take most of the snaps at running back after carrying the ball 59 times for 464 yards and six touchdowns last season, getting more playing time as the year went on.

Hodges said the chemistry on the team is off the charts, adding another element to what he said is an explosive and flexible offense.

“We can do so many things on offense,” Hodges said. “We can throw, we can run, we have a really young offensive line, and I think that’s amazing as well. There’s so many options on our offense. We don’t just stick to one thing, we can do multiple things. That’s going to be very difficult for defenses this year.”

The Spartans have always shown multiple looks on offense, running anything from a wing-T to an empty backfield spread at various points in a game. But in the end it usually ends up a run – the Spartans last year carried 384 times for 2,597 yards and attempted 99 passes for 1,100 yards.

That also was Gautcher’s first year as a varsity quarterback. He finished the season 56 for 95 for 1,084 yards, 11 touchdowns and two interceptions as the Spartans reached the second round of the postseason. He earned all-state honors and was named the Daily Chronicle Football Player of the Year.

Gautcher said there may be more passing from the Sycamore offense this year.

“We’re looking pretty good,” Gautcher said. “A lot more passing stuff, I guess you could say. We’re just working on plenty of different things while still having the under stuff, obviously. We’re just learning all the different concepts we have and different play formations, it’s been coming along really well.”

Ryan said the coaching staff will find a way to maximize the skill set of the speedy wide receiver corps without neglecting the run.

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

Whether it’s the run or the pass, Ryan said everything with the Spartans starts with the offensive line. While most skill position players are back from last year, the line returns juniors Owen Depauw and Dawson Gurley.

“It’s almost like synchronized swimming, right? They have to move in unison,” Ryan said. “They have to work with each other and get used to each other, and that’s what we’re trying to get now. And the offensive line is getting there, getting that feel for playing next to that guy that they’ve never played next to.”

Ryan said he usually tries to avoid two-way linemen unless they are a top-level talent. He believes Depauw qualifies and will play on both lines this season.

He also said he thinks the secondary, with four returning starters, is one of the strongest units of the team. Gautcher and York handle duties at safety while Thatcher Friedrichs and Sharpness play at quarterback.

“They make mistakes it’s six points. Our D-linemen make mistakes it’s probably six yards,” Ryan said. “So they have to be on point all the time. And last year they missed a few, and there were some six points. So they want to make sure there are no six points on them.”

Sycamore at a glance

Coach: Joe Ryan

2023 record: 9-2

Top players: Ethan Keicher, sr., DL, Owen Depauw, jr., DL/OL; Dawson Gurley, jr., OL; RJ Kaffa, sr., OL; Caden O’Donnell, sr., ILB; Kyle Prebil, sr., ILB; Dylan Hodges, OLB/RB; Colton Sharpness, WR/CB; Thatcher Friedrichs, CB/K; Burke Gautcher, sr., QB/S; Carter York, WR/S

Schedule: Aug. 30 vs. DeKalb at Huskie Stadium; Sept. 6 Oswego East; Sept 13 at Mahomet-Seymour; Sept. 20 at Rochelle; Sept. 27 Ottawa; Oct. 4 at Kaneland; Oct. 11 at LaSalle-Peru; Oct. 18 Morris; Oct. 25 Cahokia.