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SYCAMORE – The college offers came rolling in even as Burke Gautcher played two positions he’d never really played in his career.
Now with a year at safety under his belt and back at his natural quarterback position, the Sycamore junior is hoping for another big season.
“It’s been a smooth transition, basically, just the same stuff I was been doing freshman year,” Gautcher said about heading back to quarterback. “And I’ve always had [Sycamore] coach [Joe] Ryan so, It’s been pretty good.”
“We like those guys to be quarterback and we have some really good receivers that he’s going to be able to get to the ball to. Sure, if we had another quarterback that is as capable to do what he’s capable to do, or what we think he’s capable of doing behind the center, we have no problem putting him out one-on-one and throwing the ball up to him and doing those things. But we like where he’s at right now.”
— Joe Ryan, Sycamore football coach
Gautcher, in his first year at receiver, caught 37 passes for 768 yards and 10 touchdowns. At safety for the first time, he had 51 tackles, two interceptions and eight tackles for losses.
He said he’s picked up offers from Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Kent State and NIU.
Gautcher said he’s not particularly concerned what position he plays.
“It doesn’t really matter to me,” Gautcher said. “I just want to go out there and play football.”
Even with the numbers Gautcher put up last year, Ryan said the choice to move him back to quarterback was an easy one. Gautcher was the quarterback of the freshman team two years ago.
Ryan said Gautcher continues in a long line of athletic quarterbacks the Spartans have rolled out.
“We like those guys to be quarterback, and we have some really good receivers that he’s going to be able to get to the ball to,” Ryan said. “Sure, if we had another quarterback that is as capable to do what he’s capable to do, or what we think he’s capable of doing behind the center, we have no problem putting him out one-on-one and throwing the ball up to him and doing those things. But we like where he’s at right now.”
Last year Sycamore went 12-1, reaching the Class 5A state semifinals for the second straight year, losing to eventual state champ Nazareth. They also went 6-0 in the Kishwaukee River/Interstate 8 White to claim the title.
Sycamore has qualified for four straight postseasons and 13 of the past 14. The Spartans haven’t lost in the first round of the postseason since 2015 and have made the semifinals three times in that span.
“The expectation is the expectation. Coach Ryan preaches that to us,” Gautcher said. “We got some young guys coming in, but I feel like with the right coaching every day in practice we’ll be pretty good.”
Ryan said things have been going great for Gautcher through summer and fall workouts, but the big test will be once games start. Sycamore opens with DeKalb on Aug. 25 at Huskie Stadium.
“The transition has been pretty seamless right now,” Ryan said. “It will show up more in how it works in a game. It’s easier in practice, right? But when you’re out there and things are going and you’re on offense and defense and there’s a lot expected of you – there’s a difference. But I trust that he’s going to be really good at it.”
Gautcher had to adjust to two new positions last year. Not only was he at receiver, but he had never played safety before.
He said the biggest adjustment there was learning the basics, such as tackling and coverages.
“He’s a really good football player,” Ryan said. “Those guys you want to play whether they’re a sophomore, freshman, whatever. It doesn’t matter what grade you’re in. We want to put our best guys on the field. He was one of our best guys, so we put him on the field.”
Sycamore at a glance
Last year: 12-1, 6-0 Kishwaukee River/Interstate 8 White; lost to Nazareth 10-7 in a Class 5A semifinal
Keep an eye on: Burke Gautcher, jr., QB/S; Carter York, jr., WR/CB; Teague Hallahan, sr., WR; Colton Sharpness, jr., WR; Thatcher Friedrichs, jr., WR; Tristan Countryman, sr., OL/DL; Gable Carrick, sr., OL; Tyler Curtis, sr., FB/S: Dylan Hodges, jr., RB: Diego Garcia, sr., RB/LB; Joey Cullota, sr., DE; Ethan Keicher, jr., DT; Miles Galindo, sr., LB; Gabe Jovanovich, sr., LB; Kyle Prebil, jr., LB; Matthew Rangel, sr., CB
Worth noting: There are four starters back on each side of the ball for the Spartans, and that includes Gautcher, who is moving from receiver to quarterback. How this defense reloads will be a big indicator of how far the team can go as it tries to at least get back to its third state semifinal in a row. Sycamore allowed 55 points all of last year. Coach Joe Ryan said the secondary is a big strength this year with Gautcher, Curtis, York and Rangel. Ryan also said he likes the way the offensive line is shaping up, with newcomers Michael Chami, Dawson Gurley and Owen Depauw meshing with Carrick and Countryman. Depauw and Gurley are sophomores.