Vernon Hills already working on 2015 season

VERNON HILLS — For some Vernon Hills football players, the 2015 season has started just like the 2014 campaign began a year ago.

People who stop by Rust-Oleum Field when school lets out will see quarterback Connor McNamara throwing passes to some of his receivers, just like he did a year ago, thinking about the next season days after this one concluded on Friday.

“He and [receiver Kiwanne] Durant went out and threw every day after school on the field,” coach Bill Bellecomo said. “They really want to get better.”

Vernon Hills finished 3-6 last year and improved to 5-4 (4-2 in the North Suburban Prairie) this season to become playoff eligible, but did not make the cut based on points (the Cougars had 37 playoff points, and 39 would’ve gotten them into a tiebreaker for a playoff spot). With the taste of a season-ending 38-21 loss to Lake Zurich still in their mouths, the Cougars are looking for more next year.

“This will motivate us and keep us focused,” McNamara said. “We don’t want to feel this way next year. It’s still a surreal feeling that it’s over.”

The after-school crowd will be bigger this offseason as Andres Salazar will be joining the team when he is not running track. Salazar played a key role in turning Vernon Hills’ season around after a 73-3 loss to Lakes on Oct. 2. The Cougars’ record was 3-3 at that point.

“We were embarrassed on Comcast,” Bellecomo said. “It was the game of the week.”

“We didn’t want other teams to feel like they could push us around,” McNamara added, describing the team’s attitude after that game.

The team responded to the blowout with two straight wins to earn playoff eligibility.

“We came back the next week to beat Wauconda and then went to Grant and beat them on their homecoming. It shows a lot about our character,” Bellecomo said.

That brought Vernon Hills’ record to 5-3.

Late in the Wauconda game, it looked like the Cougars were headed to 3-4. Trailing Wauconda by a point, 28-27, with 1:15 remaining, Salazar nailed a 22-yard field goal to secure the win.

“I was a little nervous,” Salazar said. “I just did like the coaches told me, ‘Keep your head down and do it like in practice.’ ”

McNamara and Salazar are among 13 of 21 starters returning next year. That includes nine of 11 on defense and five on offense, including another one of McNamara’s favorite targets, Kyle Hull. The starting offensive line will be new, according to Bellecomo.

Salazar counts as two returnees because he plays every snap between offense, defense and special teams. He returns kicks as well as booting them. He acknowledges he has to toil to do it at a high level.

“I work hard in the offseason to get in shape,” Salazar said. “I go hard every day in practice so I’m ready for the games. If I’m tired, I just push through it.”