Libertyville’s high-scoring offense doesn’t surprise senior wide receiver Stevan Gavric.
It was part of the plan.
“We knew we were building something special,” he said.
Indeed, with Gavric, Blaise LaVista, Sam Seth and Brock Williams all catching passes from quarterback Quinn Schambow, the Wildcats have scored at least 29 points in every game this season and have surpassed 40 points five times.
In the regular-season finale on Friday, Gavric made five catches for 169 yards and two touchdowns as Libertyville topped Warren 35-28 to earn a share of the North Suburban Conference title with Stevenson.
“Me, Blaise, Sam and Brock the whole offseason were just grinding,” Gavric said. “Our offense just works.”
It works so well at times that the Wildcats (8-1, 6-1) ran just six plays on their first two scoring drives against Warren (5-4, 4-3). Both ended with Gavric in the end zone. The Illinois State recruit caught a 77-yard touchdown pass in the first half and a 56-yard touchdown pass on the third play of the second half.
“Everyone goes into the year saying that they’re going to be good,” Gavric said. “At one point, a lot of teams realize they have flaws. Honestly, I don’t think we have any flaws.
“The way we’re playing, I feel like the only reason we don’t score every single time is because we make our own mistakes.”
Mistakes can be difficult for defenses to avoid. Libertyville players like the 6-foot-4, 180-pound Gavric create tough matchups for virtually any secondary.
“He’s really developed for us over the years,” Libertyville coach Mike Jones said. “His older brother (Kristian) played for us and did a great job, and he’s kind of taken it another step than his brother did.
“It’s kind of nice to see a younger brother get in a position where he’s successful. He does a lot for us.”
Gavric does more than catch passes. He made a key block to help spring LaVista for an 80-yard touchdown to cap the Wildcats’ 21-point outburst in less than eight minutes in the third quarter.
“He has a great will to be a good teammate, and he does not care who scores,” Schambow said of Gavric. “If we win the game, it doesn’t matter for him. I think he’s a selfless player, and that’ll take him a long way.”
Schambow, who threw five touchdown passes against Warren, identified route running as Gavric’s best attribute.
“I would say that was my biggest emphasis over the offseason that I wanted to work on,” Gavric said. “The routes that I run require me more to stop on a dime or get in and out of breaks super quick. I did a ton of training, and I got significantly better at it.
“I’m getting by people quickly off my release. Even if they’re on me, I can get off of them, and I can get in and out of my break quickly.”
Gavric did a little bit of everything on his first touchdown on Friday.
“I ran a curl, and I caught it and made a little move on the defender to bring him inside,” he said. “Blaise had a great block, and I just split two guys and took it as far as I could.”
Gavric did the same thing on the second touchdown, but it was less complicated.
“Their corner that was guarding me earlier, he got hurt like two plays before,” Gavric said. “They put me one-on-one with the kid they just put in. If they’re doing that, I’ve got to win.”
Gavric did, as he often does. His success can at least partly be traced back to the influence of his brother Kristian, who is a sophomore wide receiver at Wisconsin-Platteville.
“I only really started playing football in seventh grade,” Gavric said. “When I got to freshman year, I was playing safety. But I always wanted to be like him. I remember sitting in the student section watching and saying that I wanted to be like that. So I started focusing more on receiver.”
Gavric has become so good at it that he received a scholarship to play at Illinois State, which he doesn’t take lightly.
“I’m very grateful that I have that opportunity,” he said. “I didn’t have any offers after last year. I know a ton of seniors, and a couple of my friends don’t know what they’re doing, and it’s kind of coming down to the end. It definitely feels nice to know my plans, and it takes a weight off my shoulders.”
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter.
