At the start of the season, St. Charles North’s Tommy Vendl wasn��t shy about stating his goals.
Finally getting the chance to be in the lead role, he took aim at the program’s rushing records.
While the single-season standard for rushing yardage proved to be a little too far out of reach, the rushing touchdown record became close enough to taste for the senior running back.
“I basically bulletin boarded it — 100% — both the rushing yards and the rushing touchdowns,” Vendl said. “It’s just one more to break it. I’m going for it.”
Vendl put himself in position to break that record with three rushing touchdowns in Saturday’s 54-6 win over McHenry in a Class 7A opening-round playoff game. He added an 84-yard TD on a screen pass, putting up 107 receiving yards and 106 rushing yards, all coming in the first half.
Landon Conroy completed 8 of 14 passes for 217 yards and two TDs for St. Charles North (6-4). Jaden Tran added rushing and receiving TDs. Robert Davis caught four passes for 101 yards to lead McHenry (3-7), including a 66-yard TD catch.
Vendl’s 13 TDs rushing this season tie Eric Lins and current Iowa State safety Drew Surges for the program record. He’ll have a chance to break it during next week’s first-round playoff game at Brother Rice.
“I love the fact that he’s setting an in-season goal and keeping track of it,” St. Charles North coach Rob Pomazak said. “Those are things that elite players can do — set something that hasn’t been done and break it. He’s going to break it. He’s in position to do it.”
Vendl also set the tone early Saturday for the North Stars. His 10-yard TD run followed by Conroy’s 2-point conversion opened an 8-0 lead. His 8-yard TD run with 2:33 left in the first quarter pushed the advantage to 23-0.
After McHenry got on the board, Conroy and Vendl connected on the 84-yard screen pass. Vendl’s 26-yard TD run with 1:38 left in the first half widened the gap to 40-6.
“It’s awesome to see everything he went through,” Conroy said of Vendl. “He’s always the hardest worker, the loudest guy, always doing everything right. I’m so happy for him to have this moment.
“We’re going to have him break it next week and we’re excited about it. I’m really happy to get to play with him. and it’s really an honor, to be honest.”
It hasn’t been a surprise either to Pomazak, who realized Vendl was ready for the spotlight.
“He’s a special player,” Pomazak said. “He gives us another gear. I’m so proud of him. He deserves it. It’s just good to see. Just give him the ball and he’ll do the rest.
“You can throw him the ball. He’s just dangerous. He’s a great kid and works his tail off.”
Vendl found himself getting sentimental before the game, something he hadn’t anticipated. Playing the final home game of your career can bring up some unexpected emotions.
“You have to look around and cherish it, be in the moment,” Vendl said. “When we were in the tunnel I was like, ‘This is really it.’
“I was looking at all the little details that I probably didn’t recognize before.”
The reward for the win is a first-round game against one of the best teams in the state. Brother Rice (7-2) knocked the North Stars out of the playoffs last fall.
“We have a tall order against a good football team but we’ve done it before,” Pomazak said. “I like our opportunity. These guys deserve all the credit because they stuck with it. They’ve done a great job.”
The record, meanwhile, would be nice for Vendl. The upset would be even sweeter, though.
“It’s awesome,” he said. “We get to play the guys that took us out last year. We’ll see how it goes.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
