High school football notebook: Nazareth's Garrett Reese commits, Prairie Ridge hires new coach

Garrett Reese wasn’t just looking for the best football fit when he started narrowing down his college choices.

The classroom side was a big priority for the Nazareth junior, who plans to major in international business.

At Indiana -- which has a top-10 undergraduate business school -- Reese found the perfect mix of athletics and academics. And that’s why the 6-2, 170-pound defensive back is one of the first players to commit to new Hoosiers coach Curt Cignetti.

In fact, two of Cignetti’s first three recruits in the class of 2025 are consensus three-star prospects from Illinois: Reese and Sandburg offensive lineman Matt Marek.

“They stood out to me by how they addressed me at the visit,” Reese said. “They made me feel like I was a priority. They sold it to me [how] they develop their players in the weight room and speed-wise.”

The Hoosiers have had some rough years lately. But there’s optimism in Bloomington with the arrival of Cignetti, who went 52-9 in five seasons at James Madison while guiding the Dukes in the transition from FCS to FBS.

Reese hopes to help build something special at Indiana. He’s plenty familiar with success, having already played on two IHSA state-championship teams at Nazareth.

His college stock soared after moving from wide receiver to defensive back -- a switch that admittedly took some getting used to.

“I didn’t really love the change at first,” Reese said. “I started out on offense, I really loved offense. Over time I realized I was more natural at defense.”

He’s always had confidence in his ability. But Reese, who also holds offers from California and Cincinnati among others, knows how few high-school players get the opportunity to earn a Power Five scholarship.

“It was a little bit surreal,” he said. “When you look at yourself in the mirror you don’t think of yourself as a big-[time] guy.”

New leader at Prairie Ridge

Mike Frericks, an assistant for the past two years at Prairie Ridge, is the new head coach of one of the state’s premier programs.

Frericks takes over for Chris Schremp, who stepped down after 22 seasons, a 187-64 record and three state titles. Schremp is set to take over as the Wolves’ athletic director when Mark Gilbert retires at the end of this school year.

Becoming a head coach feels like a natural evolution for Frericks, a Crystal Lake South grad who went on to play for current Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer at small-school power Sioux Falls in South Dakota.

Frericks remained in South Dakota after his playing days. He served as a high-school assistant at Sioux Falls Washington, which won three state titles during his time there.

“It’s awesome to be back in Crystal Lake,” said Frericks, who sees no reason to fix what isn’t broken.

Prairie Ridge will continue to run its productive triple-option offense and the entire coaching staff will be back this fall.

Frericks is ready for the challenge of maintaining the Wolves’ standing as one of the state’s premier Class 6A teams in one of its best leagues.

“I feel honored just to be part of the program, to be chosen by Chris,” he said. “The Fox Valley, since I was playing at South -- it’s been a tough football conference. I feel honored to be part of the proud tradition of the Fox Valley.”