Gavin Shondy is ‘invaluable’ for Lake Zurich

Lake Zurich tight end Gavin Shondy is the rare player who welcomes fewer snaps.

Shondy is shooting more from less in his senior season, and the Bears are better off for it.

“I fluctuated a lot between starting both ways and being the top backup,” he said. “At the beginning of the year, we didn’t have as much depth. But as it developed, the roles changed.

“Wherever the team needs a guy, I’m happy to fill that role. As long as we win, I’m happy.”

There’s no doubt the 6-foot-1, 210-pound Shondy’s team approach is part of the winning formula for fourth-seeded Lake Zurich (9-2), which has won nine of its last 10 games and will face top-seeded Nazareth (10-1) on the road in the Class 6A state quarterfinals at 1 p.m. Saturday.

Shondy was very effective as the starting tight end throughout the season. No longer starting at linebacker, he has been the first reserve at multiple linebacker positions since sophomore Tyler Bonelli-Schultz proved he was ready for a role at every level.

“Some people consider it a disadvantage not to start in both directions, but it allows me to consolidate all my work into one position,” Shondy said. “I took advantage of it to maximize my offensive output.

“Don’t get me wrong. I love playing. But to have an edge in my overall game, I’ll take it.”

However, Shondy still trains as a linebacker.

“Sometimes it can be difficult to learn everything,” he said. “Our inside backs are more box players, and outside you’re more in space. Overall, I enjoy the game so much that it doesn’t feel like work to learn everything.”

Playing for a winning team is fun, after all, and Shondy knows what it’s like to not play and not win. He suffered a serious knee injury in the fourth week of the 2023 season – his ACL, lateral meniscus and medial meniscus were torn, and his MCL, PCL and LCL were sprained – and he didn’t play for a year.

Shondy returned for Week 5 last season, but the Bears failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2015. His short season, however, was a valuable test for his knee.

“My mom joked to me that I never did anything halfway, but it definitely wasn’t much fun,” Shondy said of his injury. “It’s kind of on the back burner now. When I came back, it almost felt like I had a new knee. I felt good this year, but I feel it, especially after games. The doctor said it’ll never be completely the same again.”

Program participants who have seen Shondy make his way home have tremendous respect for what he endured. Senior safety Bryce Erkman said Shondy’s injury made him more appreciative of his opportunity to play.

“Knowing what happened to him makes you realize this can happen to any of us,” Erkman said. “It shows what you have at stake.

“And having him back this year has been huge. He’s a hard runner when he gets the ball, and he always beats the guy in front of him.”

Shondy’s stats are modest. He made six catches for 68 yards and a touchdown. But what he brings to the offense on a weekly basis is significant.

“Besides the quarterback, the tight end in our system is the player we ask to do the most in terms of assignments and responsibilities,” Lake Zurich coach Ron Planz said. “He’s been invaluable. We’re nowhere near as successful as we’ve had without his ability and willingness to do whatever we ask of him. That’s selflessness.”

The Bears have several versions of their very successful inside zone running game. The responsibilities remain the same for the offensive linemen, but they are different for the tight end, so Shondy only has a few seconds, from one group to the next, to recognize what is being asked of him.

“There’s a lot of different formations, and I’m just as much of an offensive lineman as them and just as much of a receiver as them,” Shondy said. “But duplicating work is fun.”

If forced to choose one of these tasks, Shondy probably wouldn’t make the seemingly obvious choice.

“I like to catch the ball and get out in space one-on-one with a defensive back, linebacker or safety, that always leads to good things,” he said. “But I love manning the line. There’s something about the dirty work that’s really rewarding. Establishing dominance on the football field is a feeling I love.”

Steve Reaven is a freelance journalist.