Scouting the Prospect Knights

After six years of missing the playoffs, Prospect earned a playoff berth in 2018 under first-year coach Dan DeBoeuf.

The Knights qualified with the minimum five wins and finished last season with a 5-5 record after a first-round playoff exit.

"That was right on pace with where I thought we'd be," said DeBoeuf, who came to Prospect after leading Johnsburg to the Class 4A state championship game in 2016. "To come in and think we were going to be in the quarterfinals or semifinals of Class 7A right away would have been a little tough.

"I thought we did really well in our first year, but now, we are looking to make that next step."

DeBoeuf says it's a numbers game from here: increased numbers on the roster, and increased numbers in the weight room. And the Knights have done both over the offseason.

"We did things quite a bit differently last year and sometimes change is hard but our kids really bought into it and now that that culture is in place, we're getting more kids who want to be a part of it," DeBoeuf said. "We had 115 kids in the program last year and we are up to 130 now. And our goal is to get up in the 150s. We want to continue to grow."

Meanwhile, the Knights are growing in the weight room, too.

DeBoeuf says another way to get to the next level, besides increasing numbers program-wide, is to increase muscle.

Prospect has a 750-pound club, a benchmark of total weight accumulated in three key lifts: power clean, squat and bench.

"Last year, we had seven kids in the 750 club," DeBoeuf said. "This year, we have 20 kids in that club. We've more than doubled it. Anytime you have more than 20 kids on your team in that 750 club, usually that means you're a pretty good team."

The Knights have some talent back that should also make them formidable.

Running back Luke Zardzin was an all-conference pick last season as a sophomore. He ran for more than 700 yards and 8 touchdowns.

"Luke had a really nice offseason," DeBoeuf said. "He ran track for the first time and really improved his speed. He also put on 15 to 20 pounds in the weight room. I think he is primed for another really good season."

Also back is receiver Brian Doherty, who missed his sophomore year with a torn ACL but returned last year for a solid junior campaign.

The Knights will get a boost on the line from Sebastian Swistak who missed last season with an ACL tear after starting all nine games the season before as a sophomore. And Micah Sahakian, who used to be home schooled and has never played football before, will add size with his 6-foot-6, 290-pound frame.

Meanwhile, Prospect will be led on offense by quarterback Gary Moeller, who was moved to cornerback last year because he broke his left hand early in the season and couldn't take a snap.

"Even with a broken hand, he led the area in interceptions with six," DeBoeuf said of Moeller. "He had a big club on his hand and everything.

"Now he's healthy and what makes him a good quarterback is how smart he is. He is both a runner and a passer and he has a quiet confidence that will help him in a lot of different situations."

Moeller's biggest challenge will be directing Prospect's fast-paced, no-huddle offense, which moved so fast last season that it increased its scoring production by 10 points per game from the previous season.

Defensively, the Knights return lineman Mikki Mihov, linebacker Adam Mekky and safety Zach Zei.

"On offense, we're going to play fast, and on defense, we're going to give a lot of different looks," DeBoeuf said. "We want to keep the other team always guessing and we want to wear them down. We feel like we have the numbers to do that this year."