Sept. 29--Deerfield senior running back Johnny Fisher's intentions were to follow his coaches' instructions.
Deerfield coach Steve Winiecki told Fisher to secure a first down late in Friday night's game against Niles North.
Nothing more. Nothing less.
"I told the team before that final drive, 'If we break a long run, get a first down,' and for Johnny to then go down," Winiecki said.
Then 21 Option was called, and Fisher found himself staring at nothing but open space and the end zone.
"A hole opened up and I ran through it and I clearly broke away and was going to score but around the 25-yard line, I decided to slow down because I already had the first down," Fisher said. "I was running and debating because I knew I should go down and run out the clock and win the game for my team, so I kind of just slid."
Fisher admitted his slide wasn't highlight-worthy, but he already managed to grab the spotlight with his running.
The 5-foot-11, 185-pounder ran the ball 38 times for 345 yards and four touchdowns in Deerfield's 43-36 win.
Fisher outperformed more heralded Niles North senior running back and Iowa recruit Barrington Wade. Winiecki hopes Friday's breakout performance helps colleges realize that Fisher is a quality back deserving of more attention. Due to a win by forfeit in Week 1, the Warriors (3-2) have played only four games. Fisher has 100 carries for a team-high 713 yards and eight touchdowns this season.
"Barrington Wade gets all the press and deserves it, but Johnny was the best running back on the field Friday night," Winiecki said. "Johnny is playing with a chip on his shoulder. He's not a surprise. He's a very good running back, and our offensive line is starting to come around."
Fisher said he attended camps at Princeton, Harvard, Dartmouth and Yale this summer. His grades are another positive: He scored a 34 on his ACT.
"My recruiting started off better, but now kind of like stopped," Fisher said. "There hasn't been much progress. I was really interested in Dartmouth. I like the coach a lot.
"Ideally, I want to go to an Ivy League school. I'm still looking at all my options so I can get the best college. I've always put academics first over anything. I want to keep that a priority. I don't want to go somewhere just for football. I'm just going to play my game and see what happens."
Lenoir verbals to SIU: Crete-Monee senior wide receiver Landon Lenoir has an abundance of mentors at his disposal to help his game. His brother, Lance Lenoir, is a junior wide receiver at Western Illinois.
Landon Lenoir can even reach out to former Crete-Monee star and current Mississippi junior wide receiver Laquon Treadwell for advice.
"(Laquon) tells me to be very patient and be blessed about the situation and be humble," Landon Lenoir said. "This offseason, I worked with Laquon a lot, and just watching him and my big brother work really helped me a lot.
"I saw how Laquon's whole demeanor changed after his injury. He never stops working. It made me want to have that same drive as him and my big brother, and how they go after it and compete. I try and do the same thing as they do with my team."
Landon, a 6-1, 175-pounder, orally committed to Southern Illinois last week, but admitted he wants to leave the door open for other schools. His teammate, senior tackle Joe Ware, orally committed to Illinois State on Sept. 23.
"I just loved the SIU campus when I went down there in August," Landon said. "It made me feel like home. I was very comfortable down there and I really like the players.
"I'm still interested in Illinois State, Western Illinois, Illinois and Indiana. Those are the top schools I'm looking at right now. It's a verbal commitment. I'm committed to SIU. If those other colleges do give me an offer, I'll be very glad to accept it."
Odds and ends: Neuqua Valley junior wide receiver/cornerback Isaiah Robertson received an offer from Vanderbilt last week, his first offer from an SEC school. Robertson, the third ranked prospect in the state for the class of 2017 by 247Sports.com, also has offers from Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Wisconsin, Toledo and Central Michigan. ...Lake Forest senior quarterback Danny Carollo picked up an offer from Valparaiso last week. Carollo, who completed 16 of 17 passes for 185 yards and five touchdowns in Friday's win against Mundelein, also has an offer from Northern Iowa.
Bob Narang is a freelance reporter for the Chicago Tribune.
