Illinois: 2007 Gridiron Greats

Compiled By Frank Steele

MaxPreps.com

MaxPreps 2007 Player of the Year
Wil Lunt - Rochester
Quarterback

6-3/210/Senior

Lunt threw for an average of 335.1 yards per game and had 32 touchdown passes. His 3,351 passing yards was tops in the state and put him No. 1 in all-time passing yardage for a career, breaking Tim Brasic's mark and finishing with 8,393 yards. Lunt led the state in completions with 232. He is also a standout off the field, sporting a 4.1 grade point average.

Patrick O'Brien - Belvidere

Fullback

6-1/205/Senior

Led the Bucs to a 9-3 season by rushing for over 1,700 yards and 26 touchdowns.

London Davis - Cahokia

Tight End/Defensive End

6-4/255/Senior
This Big Man was the anchor of the Comanches' defensive line. He will be playing for Rose Bowl-bound Illinois next year.

Ryan Waldron - Central Catholic( Bloomington)

Running Back/Linebacker

6-0/205/Senior

Offensively, Waldron ran for 1,970 yards, while racking up five tackles for loss, four sacks and three interceptions defensively.

Derek Schurch - Dakota

Quarterback/Defensive Back

6-4/215/Senior
Schurch threw for 1,335 yards and only five interceptions to lead his team to a perfect 14-0 record.

Michael Ratay - Geneva

Running Back

5-10/195/Junior
Junior back averaged 6.34 yards per carry and 145.3 yards per game. His 29 touchdowns and 1,743 yards helped the Vikings to an 11-game winning streak.

Quarterback/Linebacker

6-1/175/Senior
Johnson tossed 34 touchdowns and reached the end zone on the ground 10 times to lead the Lions to a 10-2 record. His 2,893 yards through the air were the state's second-best total. Also tallied 63 tackles defensively.

Matt Flowers - Nokomis

Running Back/Linebacker

6-1/195/Senior
The Redskins' iron man led his team and conference in tackles with 129 and his 2,248 all-purpose yards put him in the top 10 for the state.

Matt Mehring - Red Bud

Running Back/Linebacker

6-0/185/Junior

Mehring, a two-way starter, racked up 141 tackles and led the Musketeers to a 9-2 record.

Brandon Green - Robeson

Wide Receiver/Defensive Back

6-0/185/Senior

Future Minnesota Gopher hauled in 62 passes for 1,114 yards and 18 touchdowns. Also had four rushing touchdowns and threw four touchdown passes to help the Raiders to a perfect regular season.

John Lantz - Sacred Heart-Griffin

Wide Receiver/Cornerback

6-1/189/Junior

Could be the most dangerous player in the state next season. Lantz totaled 1,040 all-purpose yards and averaged over 22 yards per catch. Defensively, racked up 48 tackles and eight interceptions.

Darius Fleming - St. Rita

Defensive Lineman

6-3/270/Senior

Big man notched nine sacks and 69 tackles. Fleming will play in U.S. Army All-American Bowl and at Notre Dame next fall.

Brad Wright - Staunton

Defensive Back

6-3/185/Senior

Talented defensive back picked off 12 passes, key in the Bulldogs flurry of close games. Seven of Staunton's 10 games were decided by seven points or less.

John Wienke - Tuscola

Quarterback

6-5/222/Senior

Wienke helped Tuscola reach the state title game for the second-straight year by throwing for 2,859 yards and 32 touchdowns. The lefty was efficient, too, throwing just five picks and completing 65 percent of his attempts. In two seasons, the Michigan recruit threw for 6,080 yards and 65 touchdowns.

Brad Herman - Metamora

Tight End

6-5/220/Senior

Iowa-bound tight end helped Metamora reach Class 5A finals.

Ben Olson - Morris

Offensive Line/Defensive Line

6-4/273/Senior

Big lineman was the leader of the Redskin offensive line and helped Morris win 11-straight games on the way to the state title game. The three-year starter didn't allow a sack all year and notched 24 pancake blocks.

Leonard Hubbard

Linebacker

6-2/225/Senior

This future Wisconsin Badger helped the Cyclones to a conference title in 2007 with 115 tackles and a pair of interceptions. Was voted first team All-State by the IHFCA.