Lake Forest senior Charlie Markee is that receiver every quarterback wants on the team.
The 6-foot-1, 165-pound Markee might not have the measurables that jump off the page. But when there’s a play to be made in the Scouts’ passing game, he’s the top candidate to get the job done.
“We have so much confidence in him,” Lake Forest quarterback Daniel Van Camp said. “He just has a way of getting open. When it’s down to the end of the game, we’ll get him the ball, and we know he’ll do something with it. He just brings that spark for our offense every game.”
It was more of a blazing fire that Markee started in the waning moments of seventh-seeded Lake Forest’s 24-17 road win against second-seeded Libertyville in the second round of the Class 6A playoffs on Saturday.
With the game tied, the Scouts (9-2) started a possession on their 2-yard line in the final minute, and seemingly everyone in the stadium had already moved on mentally to overtime.
Except Van Camp and Markee.
Not content to merely avoid a safety, Van Camp dialed up a slant pattern for Markee, who took the ball 48 yards to midfield. Van Camp then threw a 37-yard fade pass to sophomore wide receiver Jack Burger, and in the blink of an eye, Lake Forest was in business.
“We thought we had a chance there and got aggressive,” Markee said. “We knew they were going to go zero to get a safety in there and try to get impatient and try to win the game right there. We took advantage of it. Just hit a little crease, and Danny put it right on time.”
Van Camp, who completed 16 of 31 passes for 236 yards and a touchdown, eventually sneaked into the end zone from the 1-yard line with 6.6 seconds remaining to push Lake Forest into the quarterfinals for the third time in five full seasons. The Scouts, who next will play third-seeded Geneva (9-1) or sixth-seeded Burlington Central (8-2), beat otherwise-undefeated North Suburban Conference rival Libertyville (9-2) for the second time in four games.
As for Markee, who finished with three catches for 73 yards, he believed in himself.
“It’s just confidence,” he said. “You have to stay confident and not be cocky because there’s always a bigger, badder player out there. Just stick to what you do, and you can get open pretty easily.”
Markee has done that consistently for two seasons. He has shown the ability to take over games, like he did with 11 catches for 180 yards and a TD during the Scouts’ 14-6 road win against Mundelein in the regular-season finale.
But Markee is also happy being efficient in the Scouts’ balanced offense, which was on display against Libertyville as senior running back Marty Hippel produced 116 yards on 25 carries.
“When teams go dime, we know we can run it, but when they’re expecting the run and take out the defensive backs, we can pass it,” Markee said. “We’re really versatile. We just have to be patient because we know our run game can carry us down the field, too, and we don’t have to force anything.”
Lake Forest was in that position in part because senior safety Ryan Milliman intercepted star senior quarterback Quinn Schambow, an Oklahoma State baseball recruit, and went 30 yards for a touchdown, tying the game at 7-7 midway through the first quarter. The Scouts then scored 10 unanswered points in the second quarter to go ahead 17-10.
Libertyville junior wide receiver Blaise LaVista’s 19-yard touchdown catch with nine minutes remaining tied the game at 17-17. After each team punted, the Scouts began their game-winning 98-yard drive. Van Camp and Markee got it started.
“We were just trying to get off the goal line, but Charlie burst upfield and broke a tackle,” Van Camp said. “That makes it a completely different game. After that, I was thinking, ‘Let’s get something out of this.’ He made a heck of a play.”
Markee has done that time and time again.
“You don’t have to be the biggest guy,” he said. “You don’t have to be the fastest guy. I’m definitely not the strongest guy out there. But you can still make it work. I have an amazing chemistry with Danny, and that’s more than enough.”
More than enough for Markee’s coaches to put the ball in his hands with the season on the line.
“Comparing ability between him and other guys, I don’t do all of that,” Lake Forest coach Chuck Spagnoli said. “All I know is that for us, he’s a great, great player. I don’t know what else you could ask for.”
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter.
