Evanston’s Garron drawing college looks

Updated: June 29, 2011 9:53PM

Mike Burzawa wants to win as much as any coach.

The former Driscoll skipper won three state titles in Addison from 2005-07 before taking over at Evanston. In his third season in charge, Burzawa led the Wildkits to the playoffs last year for the first time since 2003.

But Burzawa doesn’t judge the success of the program by what the players do on the field as much as what they do off of it.

“Ultimately, we want to run a first-class program,” he said. “We want the kids to be respectful and do great in school. We are making progress there, and we are building a championship team.”

Evanston went 6-4 in 2010, its first winning season since going 7-4 in 2003 under Tony Johnson.

But Evanston graduated dozens of seniors, many of whom were integral to last season’s success, including running back Rendell Massie. Burzawa said 14 players from that team will play football in college.

“The most important focus is on the kids and developing them into fine young men,” Burzawa said. “We want to guide them to productive careers, turning boys into men. I am proud of the last senior class.”

Leonard Garron is one player back expected to make a big impact on the field. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound senior recently received an offer from Northern Illinois. Burzawa projects him to start at both tight end and defensive end.

“He’s definitely a special and gifted young man,” the coach said. “We are impressed with Leonard’s character. He takes care of business in school and is a great role model for the kids and the community.”

As a junior, Garron was nightmare for opponents. On defense, he forced four fumbles, recovered two fumbles and had two sacks. He caught 16 passes on offense.

“He’s real physical on both sides,” Burzawa said. “He’s a kid who can do some dynamic things in open space. He also has that long reach and can cause conflicts with the way he comes off the edge.

“We are excited what he can do for us.”

Another veteran back for the Wildkits is senior Zach Husain. The 6-2, 240-pounder started at center last season. Husain’s brother Pat will be a sophomore on Tulane’s football team this season.

“He has excellent footwork and outstanding technique,” Burzawa said.

Who takes Husain’s snaps will have a lot of eyes on him. Senior Max Block is working out as the starting quarterback this summer after playing free safety a year ago.

“Max can do a lot of different things for us,” said Burzawa, who credits quarterback coach Ryan Healy for bringing Block along. “He has a nice, strong arm and is a very smart young man. He’s trying to understand the game better and be better at reading coverages.”

The loss of Massie left a huge hole in the backfield, but Burzawa believes a committee can make up for the loss. The coach is looking at seniors Ray Bahr and Aaron Potts, among others.

Burzawa said the Wildkits will wrap up the summer session July 21.

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