Bolingbrook offense led by Sponge Brad

Bolingbrook coach John Ivlow calls junior starting quarterback Brad Geever ‘‘a sponge.”

‘‘He just absorbs everything,’’ Ivlow said. ‘‘Brad is just a smart kid. He understands football almost like a coach would. He’s got something you usually don’t see until college.’’

That’s pretty amazing because this is only Geever’s second year playing football. Geever and No. 5 Bolingbrook (6-0) host No. 4 Lincoln-Way East (6-0) Friday for first place in the SouthWest Suburban Blue.

The 6-3, 195-pound Geever was unearthed by Bolingbrook football coaches Jim Triner and Matt Monken during a physical-education class his freshman year. He was playing catch with Barry Wolff, and his arm caught their attention.

‘‘Barry and I were just throwing the ball around, and coach Triner came up to me and said I’d be very good at playing football,’’ Geever said. ‘‘The season was already over, so I came out my sophomore year. It was a lot different than baseball and basketball, which I played.

‘‘I just thought I had to tough it out and just work. At first I was just learning, but I always thought I’d get better as time wore on.’’

And Geever has gotten better. Halfway through his sophomore season, he was named the starter. Now as a junior, Geever has become a dynamic pass-and-run threat, expertly running the spread option for the always run-heavy Raiders.

Last Friday, Geever celebrated his 17th birthday by rallying Bolingbrook past Lincoln-Way Central 14-3 with two second-half touchdown passes. A week earlier, he racked up more than 200 total yards and had a hand in three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) against Joliet.

Geever also was impressive in a Week 3 victory over Morgan Park, gaining 151 yards on 15 carries with two touchdowns, including a 92-yard scamper.

‘‘I feel more comfortable every time I walk onto the field on Friday,’’ Geever said. ‘‘I just try to do my best and make all the right reads.’’

Much of Geever’s success goes back to how well (and how fast) he has learned Bolingbrook’s offense.

‘‘He’s such a smart kid, and he listens,’’ Bolingbrook quarterback coach Jerry Blew said. ‘‘Those two things go a long way.

“He also doesn’t have any bad habits because he hasn’t played that much. He’s really caught on. If someone gives him a play that’s a little messed up, he’ll say ‘Wait isn’t it this way.’ For someone who hasn’t played all that much, that says something.”

Except for an occasional baseball-style throw, Geever doesn’t have many faults, said Blew, who coached Tim Brasic — the 2001 Sun-Times Player of Year and one the state’s most prolific passers — at Riverside-Brookfield.

‘‘He’s got Division I potential,’’ Blew said. ‘‘He throws a real solid ball, and we work on fundamentals every day. He’s got a real upside. He’s growing by leaps and bounds.”

ajahns@suntimes.com