Grayslake North senior Cameron Bates isn’t satisfied yet.
Bates is not only striving to fulfill his individual potential as a fleet-footed, sure-handed wide receiver on every down but also aiming to help the Knights return to the winning ways he experienced as a sophomore.
“I just try to get open and make big plays,” he said. “That’s what my job is. It feels good when I do those things. But helping my team win feels the best.”
The Knights (4-5) took their lumps last season, due largely to a very inexperienced roster. But just three starters graduated, and Bates is among the returnees who remember when Grayslake North won nine games, including its Class 6A playoff opener, and the Northern Lake County Conference title in coach Brian Johnson’s first season in 2022.
The 6-2, 190-pound Bates, a big-time playmaker with offers from Colgate, Dartmouth, North Dakota and Northern Iowa, made 35 catches for 578 yards and two touchdowns and was named all-conference last year. He wants to do even more for the Knights, who will open the season at Vernon Hills on Aug. 30.
“I try to get one percent better every day,” he said. “You can never take reps off. You practice hard so games are easier.”
Grayslake North’s coaches don’t want to make it easy for opposing defenses, so they’ll try to keep Bates busy this season.
“When you’ve got a player who’s that athletic, you try to put him in different spots to get him the ball as much as possible,” Johnson said. “We’ll move him around a little, and it’s fun to draw stuff up in the dirt for him to do sometimes.”
Bates’ speed, in particular, puts pressure on defenses. He won the 100-meter dash in 10.89 seconds and the 200 in 21.96 in the Class 3A Grayslake Central Sectional in May to qualify for the state meet.
Bates, who was named all-conference in baseball last season and used to play basketball, has also added 20 pounds of muscle since last fall and wants to be able to gain more yards after the catch.
“I have to be a little harder to tackle this year,” he said. “The YAC is a big thing for me now. There are some plays where I want to be able to get separation. Even with the added weight, I was able to maintain my explosiveness. I didn’t want to get big and slow.”
Bates’ rise for the Knights is a feat in itself. His first exposure to organized football didn’t come until 2021, when he played on the freshman team. He was promoted to varsity the next season and caught a long touchdown pass in the opener.
“Before that, I felt like a baseball and basketball player,” Bates said. “I remember thinking to myself after that game that I might be able to take this pretty far. I opened my eyes that day.”
The “ah-ha” moment for Johnson came later, specifically in the Knights’ 24-20 loss to Harlem in the second round of the playoffs.
“(Bates) made two amazing catches that game, including one where he went above a good cornerback and high-pointed it,” Johnson said. “He wasn’t quite one of our top guys yet, but that made me feel like it was clicking. It got everybody’s juices going.”
Bates was catching passes from Jacob Donohue back then. These days, Bates has a good connection with senior quarterback Mitchell Hughes. They’re longtime friends and have played travel baseball together since they were 11.
Hughes has seen firsthand how far Bates has come in football and leans on their friendship to iron out issues that may arise during games.
“It’s pretty easy to go up to him and say whatever’s on my mind because of how close we are,” Hughes said. “His routes have gotten so much crisper, and he’s much sharper out of his breaks. He’s not just relying on his speed anymore.”
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter.
