Deerfield freshman guard Drew Schnurman’s whirlwind season continues.
Schnurman made his high school debut on the sophomore team in November and emerged as its go-to scorer. Then he was promoted to a veteran varsity team with big ambitions.
On Friday night, Schnurman played on the biggest stage yet. He logged key fourth-quarter minutes in the Class 3A Deerfield Sectional championship game and didn’t flinch.
“You have to show them in practice, win every rep and try to earn your way onto the court,” he said. “Then when you get to the game, you can’t play timid. You have to take the moment. You have to stay confident and trust your work because it’s the same game.”
But the distance Schnurman has traveled in only four months is something to behold and all the more remarkable considering that he suffered a torn medial collateral ligament in his right knee on the last play of the football season, during which he was the quarterback for the freshman team.
Schnurman and the second-seeded Warriors will go even further after defeating seventh-seeded Lake Forest 46-35 to win their first sectional title since 1997, 14 years before he was born.
Deerfield (23-11) will play Wheaton St. Francis (17-14) in the Hoffman Estates Supersectional at NOW Arena at 6 p.m. Monday.
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter. This story will be updated.
