Libertyville senior quarterback Quinn Schambow’s admiration for junior receiver Blaise LaVista is real, and the feeling is mutual.
One couldn’t toy with opposing defenses without the other — not like this.
“It is easy, and he’s just so reliable for me,” Schambow said. “We knew it ever since he was young. I’m not really doing much, to be honest with you. I trust him to go make a play, and he does.”
Schambow and LaVista have done so at an amazing clip this season. But they took their connection to a new level during Libertyville’s 43-17 home win against Deerfield in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs on Friday, accounting for five of six touchdowns.
The 6-foot-1, 205-pound Schambow has thrown 50 touchdown passes this season for the second-seeded Wildcats (9-1), who will play seventh-seeded Lake Forest (8-2) in the second round. The 6-4, 215-pound LaVista’s career-high five touchdowns among his eight catches for 198 yards against 15th-seeded Deerfield (5-5) increased his season touchdown total to 24.
“For me, honestly, I’ve been blessed to have scored a lot of touchdowns in my career,” LaVista said. “But at the end of the day, a win is all I’m after.”
Schambow and LaVista didn’t waste any time putting their stamp on this win, with LaVista taking a screen pass 60 yards to the end zone on Libertyville’s first offensive play of the game.
“We were thinking we were going to get a different look, and we got an even better look, so we figured we should go ahead and take advantage of it,” LaVista said. “As soon as I got the ball in my hands, the boys gave me a couple of great blocks, and at the end of the day, I really didn’t do much. I had a crazy tunnel, and I told myself to just take off.”
When LaVista has running room and turns on the jets, there’s no one that’s going to catch him. Schambow, who completed 15 of 17 passes for 304 yards, also makes LaVista’s job easier with his passes.
“On film, my catch radius looks crazy because he throws the perfect ball,” LaVista said. “In my opinion, his best attribute is his accuracy. He doesn’t need an arm slot. He doesn’t need to be in the right position. He can throw off his back foot, he can throw across his chest and the ball goes right to my hands. It makes life so easy.”
One would think the Wildcats’ prolific offense, which is averaging 41 points and predominantly features four receivers, would be complicated.
“I can call stuff that is very safe and simple, and these guys can do special things with the ball,” Libertyville offensive coordinator Danny Schaechter said. “I want things that are simple, effective and cheap. The more complex, the more a player has to think on a play, and the slower they’ll be. Make it as simple as possible so these guys can play free and let their talents shine.”
There’s no shortage of talent between Schambow and LaVista.
Schambow, who will play baseball at Oklahoma State, has a strong right arm and can push aside most oncoming pass rushers, while LaVista appears ticketed for Saturdays at the highest possible level.
“When the ball is in his hands, it’s kind of a different game,” Schambow said. “Everyone prepares for him too. It’s Week 10, and you still can’t stop him. It’s pretty evident what we do, and with what he does, everyone should be on notice.
“As soon as I’m out of the pocket, he knows where to go. I’m just throwing it to him. He’s Blaise LaVista — that’s it.”
That out-of-the-pocket magic was also on display on Friday, when the duo turned Schambow’s seconds-long retreat and scramble on fourth-and-12 into a 32-yard touchdown pass to LaVista in the corner of the end zone.
Schaechter, who was the offensive coordinator at Gonzaga College High School in Washington, D.C., when Bears quarterback Caleb Williams played there, said that play was possible due to preparation.
“That’s stuff that we practice on a daily basis,” Schaechter said. “People will look at Quinn running around and scrambling and, oh, Blaise is open. These guys have a great feel for the game and for each other.”
LaVista relishes those opportunities as well.
“When he (Schambow) gets out of the pocket, honestly, it’s not a broken play for us because it’s easier for us to make a play,” he said. “We just move around and have nothing drawn up. If someone goes underneath, one of us is going to go over the top and find the green grass. He can be getting sacked, throw a guy off of him who’s twice his size and make a play. No matter what, he’ll find us.”
Libertyville, meanwhile, has found an opportunity to avenge its only loss of the season. Lake Forest won the teams’ North Suburban Conference game 42-35 in Week 8. LaVista is looking forward to the rematch.
“This next week is going to be the biggest game of my life,” LaVista said. “Getting a rematch with Lake Forest is something that we’ve been looking for. That was the biggest thing today, making that a reality, and we’re going to be ready.”
Steve Reaven in a freelance reporter.
