Roberts, Kachmer, Ratay find homes

St. Francis running back Mark Kachmer (from left), Geneva running back Michael Ratay and Aurora Christian quarterback Jordan Roberts are happy with their college choices.
(Sun-Times News Group)

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The all-time leading passer in Illinois high school history, the hero of a state championship team and one of the most prolific ground-gainers in state history — and none was offered a Division I scholarship this season.

But quarterback Jordan Roberts of Aurora Christian and running backs Mark Kachmer of St. Francis and Michael Ratay of Geneva will be moving on to the next level.

On Wednesday, while hundreds of high school seniors were signing letters-of-intent to major colleges in the Big Ten, Southeastern Conference, Big 12, Atlantic Coast Conference and Pac-10, Roberts, Kachmer and Ratay had no regrets. They were content with their decisions to commit to lower-profile programs.

Roberts, who passed for 9,752 yards and 127 touchdowns in his career, was offered a scholarship by Division I-AA Butler, was recruited by three Division III schools and was invited to walk on at several Division I schools. But he opted for Wheaton College, a Division III semifinalist in 2008.

‘‘It was a long and frustrating road,’’ Roberts said. ‘‘Wheaton didn’t come into the picture until three weeks ago. I wasn’t on their radar until [offensive coordinator] Tim Hardy came to talk to me at our school. My dad sent tape to him. I visited on a Sunday and Monday and committed on Tuesday.

‘‘My goal was to go to a Division I school, but it didn’t work out that way. In three years, I visited 30 to 40 schools. It has been a wild experience. It’s crazy how it turned out. I’m very thankful that the process is over. Now I can enjoy the rest of my senior year.’’

Roberts said he didn’t want to accept any offers to walk on. He wants to get a good education, play football and have a good college experience. He said Wheaton can fulfill those objectives.

‘‘I want to play,’’ he said. ‘‘It isn’t any fun sitting on the bench and watching games.’’

Kachmer, who rushed for 1,988 yards and scored 31 touchdowns while leading St. Francis to the Class 5A championship, chose to attend Brown in the Ivy League. He had offers to walk on at Iowa and Nebraska but chose Brown because his father played there and he thought he could play early.

‘‘It would have been cool to get Division I offers,’’ he said, ‘‘but I wanted to go to a place where I can play, so I’m not disappointed with my decision. The NFL is a dream for everyone, but you have to be realistic. Hopefully, I’ll have a good career at Brown and be happy with that.’’

Kachmer said his ‘‘dream’’ school was Stanford.

‘‘If Stanford had offered, it would have been a tougher decision,’’ he said. ‘‘But we have six players who will be in Division III. My dad wanted me to pick a school where I would be comfortable. At Brown, I will get an Ivy League education and have a chance to play football, too. I can’t complain about that.’’

Ratay, who rushed for 2,859 yards and scored 44 touchdowns for Geneva’s Class 7A runner-up, picked Grand Valley State outside Grand Rapids, Mich., which has won four Division II championships in the last six years. In high school, he rushed for nearly 5,000 yards.

‘‘I was hoping to get a scholarship to play in the Big Ten, but it didn’t happen,’’ he said. ‘‘But when I visited Grand Valley State in January, I liked it. I met the coaches and got along with them. They were excited about me coming there.’’

Ratay could have walked on at Illinois, Iowa and Western Michigan, but he wants to play, not watch or participate on scout teams.

‘‘I’m not upset,’’ he said. ‘‘I wanted to go to a place for a good education that was a good fit for me. I like their spread offense. They use their tailback a lot. And they have a tradition of winning.’’