Dazzling performance by Swift leads Libertyville

Friday night’s North Suburban Conference Lake Division matchup between Libertyville and Mundelein turned out to be a rather memorable one for the host Wildcats.

And not just because it was Libertyville’s homecoming game.

Libertyville senior running back Brian Swift ran for four first-quarter touchdowns — scoring five rushing touchdowns in all — and the Wildcats pounded Mundelein 40-8.

Swift, who needed just seven carries to gain 157 yards, scored from 11, 2, 15 and 43 yards out in the game’s first 12 minutes, staking the Wildcats to a 26-0 lead. He ripped off a 78-yard touchdown run for good measure with 4:30 remaining in the first half, making it 33-0.

“That was by far the best night I’ve ever had running the ball,” Swift said. “Nothing even comes close. I can’t explain how awesome our offensive line was tonight. They allowed us to do whatever we wanted when we had the ball.”

Remarkably, Swift’s five touchdown runs may not have even been the biggest story of the game. That’s because Libertyville senior quarterback Jack Deichl had an outstanding performance of his own,

Deichl, who said he’s been contacted by several Division I schools recently, was perfect, connecting on all 15 passes he threw for 161 yards. His 17-yard touchdown pass to Charlie Payant 42 seconds before halftime made it 40-0.

“What a remarkable performance by Jack,” Libertyville coach Mike Jones said. “He was so calm in the pocket out there tonight, and just kept taking what the defense gave him. It’s great watching him grow as a player every week. And our offensive line continues to get better and better.”

The Wildcats (4-1 overall, 2-1 NSC Lake) had a running clock for almost the entire second half. Mundelein (0-5, 0-3) dented the scoreboard with 3:58 remaining in the game, when Josh Arranda scooped up a blocked punt and raced 25 yards to the end zone.

“We have a really young team, and our guys didn’t give up,” first-year Mundelein coach George Kaider said. “They played hard until the last down.”