Friars, Huskies boast Big Ten prospects

Naperville North's Nick Mlady could play linebacker in the Big Ten, according to Huskies coach Larry McKeon.
(Danielle Gardner/Naperville Sun)

Font Size

Email

Bookmark

Black Text

White Text

Fenwick coach Joe DiCanio projects junior Jack Dittmer as one of the leading defensive linemen in the Friars’ storied football history, while Naperville North coach Larry McKeon suggests Division I schools should take another look at senior Nick Mlady, one of the stars of last year’s Class 8A championship team.

Dittmer, a 6-4, 230-pounder who just turned 16, is a defensive end who is being recruited as a linebacker. He has eight sacks, four against Bishop McNamara. He bench-presses 320 pounds and squats 520. College coaches admire his intelligence, burst off the ball and non-stop motor.

‘‘I’ve been coaching for 28 years, and he ranks with the best defensive linemen I’ve had,’’ DiCanio said. ‘‘He ranks with Anthony Falbo, who I coached at Holy Cross and went to Northern Illinois. And he compares to Darius Fleming, who starred at St. Rita last year and now is at Notre Dame. That’s the type of kid he is.’’

Dittmer has scheduled unofficial visits to Northwestern, Notre Dame and Iowa in the next month. Illinois, Arizona, Duke, Northern Illinois, Southern Illinois and several Ivy League schools also are interested.

He also has a 4.0 grade-point average (on a 4.0 scale), plays lacrosse and basketball, is a member of the student council and is involved in community service. He helps to build houses for Habitat for Humanity.

‘‘He does everything at a high-pitch level, and he has fun doing it,’’ DiCanio said.

McKeon said Mlady, a 6-1, 212-pound running back who rushed for 1,200 yards last year and has rushed for 650 yards and averaged nine yards per carry this season, is his best player. He has bounced back after suffering a broken leg in the state final last year.

Mlady has been offered a scholarship by Navy and is attracting interest from Southern Illinois and Mid-American Conference schools. But McKeon points out that Mlady — who runs 100 meters in 10.5 seconds — likely will move to linebacker in college, where he could weigh 235 pounds.

‘‘Big schools are looking at him, but they haven’t offered,’’ McKeon said. ‘‘Division I schools should be looking at him. I think he can be a linebacker in the Big Ten. He is a great player who is very smart and very athletic.’’

Meanwhile, McKeon predicts that sophomore linebacker Nick Liska has the potential to be one of the best players he has produced in 35 years. Liska, a 6-2, 235-pounder, is his team’s leading tackler. He missed last season with a broken arm but has emerged as a difference-maker this season.

The leading prospect on the Naperville North squad is offensive lineman Jake Baratz, a 6-5, 275-pounder who is committed to Arizona. He missed four games with a sprained knee last year but has gotten into superb condition this season -- he once weighed 290 -- by improving his quickness and agility. He ranks behind 1987 star Jim Hannon, who went to Indiana, as the best offensive lineman McKeon has produced.

Big surprises this season? DiCanio singles out 5-4, 150-pound junior quarterback Joe Romano, who has thrown 11 touchdown passes this season, while McKeon touts senior wingback Pat Waite, who has exceeded his expectations by averaging 10.7 yards per carry.