Lake Zurich’s Raffelson, Lynn make their mark on campus

A couple of former Lake Zurich football teammates, J.J. Raffelson and Jack Lynn, made their mark at the collegiate level this fall.

Raffelson, a Western Illinois University redshirt-freshman linebacker, was named a finalist for the Jerry Rice Award. The Sports Network announced the finalists Nov. 19 for the nation’s top freshman.

The Rice Award, in its second year, is named for legendary wide receiver Jerry Rice, who was a two-time first-team all-American in the FCS (then Division I-AA) at Mississippi Valley State. The award was voted on by a national panel of sports information and media relations directors, broadcasters, writers and other dignitaries and will be presented at the FCS Awards Banquet and Presentation on Dec. 17 in Philadelphia.

Raffelson was one of 20 on the final ballot and one of three representing the Missouri Valley Football Conference.

Raffelson became the first Leatherneck freshman in the Division I era to lead the team in tackles, finishing with 105. He started all 11 games at middle linebacker and tallied 18 more tackles than the next closest Leatherneck. His total tackles (9.6 per game) were the third-most by a freshman in all of NCAA Division I FCS and tied for 32nd overall nationally.

Five times during the season Raffelson finished with 10-plus tackles, including a season-high 13 on three occasions — Illinois State, Indiana State and Youngstown State. He also recorded 12 stops vs. Indianapolis and 11 against Northern Iowa.

Lynn, a University of Minnesota freshman linebacker, redshirted this season, but his contributions did not go unnoticed by the Golden Gophers. He was named defensive work team player of the year.