Scouting Round Lake: Nixon, Panthers aim to hit the ground running

During a freshman-team practice last year, Isaiah Nixon went out for a pass as a wide receiver and came back a quarterback.

When Round Lake opens its 2018 varsity football season against visiting Proviso East on Friday night, Aug. 24, guess who will be starting at QB for the home team?

Funny, how running one route can change a player's football route.

"I went out for a pass, and I threw (the ball) back to the coach," Nixon said. "He told me to go to quarterback."

Nixon got some quarterback time on the freshman team, and now the sophomore is ready to run with the varsity, which will include plenty of other young guys, who like the new QB will be looking to make their mark.

"He's agile," senior running back/linebacker Brandon Kisiel said of the 5-foot-8, 145-pound Nixon. "He can escape the pocket pretty easily."

Football isn't easy at Round Lake, but the Panthers have made steady strides under head coach Cristo Garza, a former Panthers player himself. After winning only one game in each of Garza's first two seasons, Round Lake started 2-0 last year, only to drop its next seven to end the season.

The Panthers boasted nearly two dozen seniors, but injuries to key players, particularly workhorse running back Anthony Tellez, took their toll.

"I'm as happy as ever because of the state of the program," Garza said. "Last year I thought we took a big step with those seniors closing the gap. We were in a lot of games. The (new) sophomores (who will be playing this year) are expecting to be in games because they don't know anything else."

Plenty of sophomores and other first-time varsity players will be needed to contribute because Kisiel (5-9, 153) is the lone player back who started every game last year. When Tellez got hurt early in the season, Kisiel became the Panthers' primary ballcarrier.

"We just got to work on timing for some of the plays," Kisiel said. "After we get that down, we should be good."

Nixon replaces QB Alex Larson (Augustana), who made All-Northern Lake County Conference Second Team last year. Nixon's demeanor has impressed his coach.

"I think as the (first) game gets closer, he'll start to get those Game Day jitters, but he is as calm as they ever come," Garza said. "You never know if he's happy or sad. We're asking him to do a lot of things, and so far he's answered the challenge."

The Panthers have a couple of move-ins who should help. Junior running back/cornerback Remorrian Gordon attended Round Lake as a freshman but played football last year for North Chicago.

"It's been good," Gordon said. "It's like coming home. ... The opportunity to come back here and start feels good."

Junior wide receiver Kevonne Peterson is a transfer from Burlington, Iowa, where he also played basketball. He has some length on his frame and says he thinks he brings "some energy and a bigger receiver, a bigger target" for Nixon.

"I feel like we're going to do something this year," Peterson said.

Garza noticed Peterson during the summer, before the newcomer decided to go out for football.

"One thing I noticed right away from Kevonne was his leadership in the weight room," Garza said. "He wasn't even playing football at the time. He was just leading in the weight room."

Senior center/defensive tackle Miguel Enriquez was a backup on the offensive line last year. He'll have a much larger role this season.

"It's a little freaky," Enriquez said with a smile. "But Garza is teaching us well. I believe we can do good stuff because of him."

The Panthers count only about a dozen seniors. Angel Encarnacion, a senior linebacker/offensive lineman, played a little last year. Daven Duncan is a junior lineman/linebacker who was called up late in the year. Senior wide receiver/linebacker Deonte Wells was injured last season

"We are so young," Garza said. "A lot of guys are going to have to step up, and I think they've taken to the challenge. We had, for us, a good 40-50 varsity guys in the summer. We have 40 freshmen, so numbers are at an all-time high. The problem for us right now is just the (lack of) experience."