Evergreen Park’s AJ Powell is focused on one place where he wants to play college football.
The senior running back/defensive back prefers Southern Illinois for a few special reasons.
“My mom graduated from there and my sister just graduated from there and my brothers go there,” Powell said. “I like the coaches. I like the atmosphere. I’ve been there a couple of times.
“They have my major. It’s the best school for me.”
But are the Salukis interested in Powell?
“I’ve talked to the coaches for three years,” Powell said. “We’ve gotta see what happens.”
Powell had a game-day visit scheduled for this weekend in Carbondale.
If the coaches at Southern Illinois need any more convincing about Powell’s prowess, they can just feast their eyes on film from Thursday night’s game.
Powell was the star on offense and defense as the Mustangs pulled out a 21-13 South Suburban Red win over host Reavis in Burbank.
The 5-foot-9, 150-pound Powell ran 10 times for 99 yards and also caught three passes for the Mustangs (3-4, 2-2) to help snap a three-game losing streak and keep their playoff hopes alive. He also added two interceptions.
Senior left-handed quarterback Rowan Smyth, a Lewis baseball recruit who returned to football after a two-year absence, threw for 154 yards and tossed touchdown passes to Caleb Keyser, Ellis Jackson and Max Bilas in the first half.
Jorden Brown ran for 110 yards on 14 carries and totaled seven catches for 58 yards to lead Reavis (4-3, 2-2). Jonathan Liesen threw for 133 yards and Logan Hurtado had five catches for 47 yards in a pair of drives in the fourth quarter.
The Rams, who need one more victory to become playoff eligible, close out the regular season with a home game next Friday against Shepard and an Oct. 25 game at Richards.
Powell, who calls himself “All Ankles No Mercy” on his Facebook page, is a transfer from Westinghouse who won over his teammates right away with his style of play.
“He makes big plays each game,” Smyth said. “You could notice him right away — the first practice. He was the fastest guy on the field.”
Evergreen Park coach Jim Ramazinski said he had a great first impression of Powell that had nothing to do with football.
“When he transferred in last spring, I received an email from him saying that he wanted to meet me — that’s what kind of kid he is,” Ramazinski said. “The first time I saw him athletically was in a PE class. He looked pretty good.
“Once I saw him in a summer camp, we knew we had a great player. He’s dangerous with the ball. He puts guys in the right spot. He really understands the game of football.”
The Mustangs put on a show in the first half against Reavis, racking up 224 yards and scoring all 21 of their points in the first 24 minutes.
Powell would like to see more of that after three weeks of the Mustangs scoring just 20 points total in losses to T.F. North, Shepard and Eisenhower.
“We came out and played physical and dominated the line,” Powell said of Thursday’s first half. “We just came out playing hard.
“After those losses, we kept our heads up and worked hard in practice.”
Powell said he plans on playing basketball for the Mustangs this season as well. He first played basketball when he lived in Chicago, but when he was coaxed into playing football, he enjoyed it.
“I love the thrill of it,” Powell said of football. “You can take your anger out when everything is built up. You can go out there and hit somebody. And it’s legal.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
