Linne's versatility was crucial to Naperville Central's success"
November 29, 2009
By PATRICK MOONEY pmooney@scn1.com
Nick Linne's football career ended Nov. 7 with a Saturday night playoff loss at Marist. By Monday he was running through Naperville Central's first official basketball practice, after which he went to work out in the weight room. That Wednesday the senior signed his letter of intent to play baseball at Northwestern.
Within those five days is a large enough sample size to understand where Linne is coming from.
The Central staff gave its players time and space in the locker room after that 24-7 second-round defeat on Chicago's South Side. Linne's potential earned him promotions to the varsity level for the postseason as a freshman and sophomore, so the quarterback knew some would be slow to take off the pads.
"It's definitely not fun sitting there. I've been there four different times," Linne recalled. "It was weird finally being a senior and getting that ultimate feeling. I always got sad when I'd see the seniors crying, but now (I) was one of them. (It hurts) just knowing that's the last game you're gonna play."
Emotions aside, Linne maxed out as a high school quarterback. The offensive co-captain of the all-DuPage Valley Conference team generated 2,695 all-purpose yards and accounted for 29 touchdowns this season.
And it goes beyond just statistics. After leading the 8-3 Redhawks to victories over crosstown rivals Waubonsie Valley, Neuqua Valley and Naperville North -- by a combined 15 points -- Linne is the 2009 Sun Player of the Year.
"The quarterback's as good as anybody in the western suburbs. He's a great athlete and he can hurt you with his feet as well as his arm," Wheaton North coach Joe Wardynski said last month while breaking down Central. "There's even times on tape where teams would look like they had good position on receivers (and you) feel like you have a good pass rush. (But) the quarterback's a good enough athlete to make you miss and still keep his eyes down the field."
Linne described playing quarterback as a feel thing. That's when he separated himself, with defensive ends caving in, the pocket collapsing and receivers trying to find the near sideline or holes in the zone defense.
Defensive coordinators had to plan for Linne (645 rushing yards, 4.8 per carry) as Central's primary running back. And he functioned almost as a point guard in its spread offense. Five Redhawks finished the season with double-digit receptions, and six caught touchdown passes, as Linne completed nearly 60 percent of his throws for 2,050 yards.
"He's a coach on the field," Central coach Mike Stine said. "He's a kid in two years (who I) really never had to yell at him, whether it was a game or a practice. He just has that unique way about himself."
Linne didn't draw much interest above what used to be called Division I-AA football, a snub that no longer really bothers him because of where he's heading.
Northwestern baseball raised its profile during the World Series, which saw former Wildcats in New York and Philadelphia. Yankees manager Joe Girardi wore No. 27 to symbolize the championship his organization was seeking. Phillies pitcher J.A. Happ would later find out that he finished second in the National League Rookie of the Year voting.
Throughout the winter, Linne will be following the weighlifting and hitting plan provided by Northwestern's baseball coaches. For Linne, the competitive will and sense of calm shaped by football will continue to carry over to other sports. But it will still be interesting to see what happens when he only channels his energy toward baseball.
"To be honest, I've never really been a year-round baseball player," Linne said. "This is a new thing for me, to focus all on one sport."
