Mr. Do It All: Jack Lausch of Brother Rice

<p dir="ltr">Looking for a freaky athlete with a ton of upside? Well, you’ve come to the right place. Brother Rice junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="65705" first="Jack" last="Lausch"] to me is one of the most intriguing prospects the state of Illinois has in its 2022 class. Need him to run the ball? He can do that. Need him to throw it? He can do that. Need him to play out of a backpedal? He can do that too. Need him to play center field and read the QB’s eyes? He’ll do it. The pure athletic ability &amp; sheer willingness to do whatever he was asked of is evident all over his film. When you turn on the tape, you’ll see a special athlete with the speed and elusiveness that coaches dream of in a quarterback. At defensive back, he’s got great instincts and overall impressive ball skills. <img class="wp-image-71340 alignright" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2020/11/lausch-300x197.jpeg" alt="" width="415" height="272" /></p> <p dir="ltr">The uniqueness of this young man does not end there. Lausch is also a phenomenal baseball player who has played varsity since his freshman season as a left-handed hitting outfielder. He’s also a pretty good pitcher too!</p> <p dir="ltr">How he won Brother Rice’s quarterback job may be his most impressive feat to date. Down against future state champion Mount Carmel in a week-nine matchup, Rice turned to Lausch for a spark. Boy, did they get it. Lausch proceeded to run for a 69-yard touchdown on a quarterback scramble &amp; threw an 18-yard touchdown pass on the run. After a tough loss to the Caravan, Brother Rice went on a deep playoff run that culminated in a 28-0 loss at Warren in the semi-finals. The reality is, however, without making the move to Lausch behind center, I don’t know if the Crusaders make it that deep in the 8A playoffs.</p> <p dir="ltr">This winter, Brother Rice brings back a talented roster that includes high-level prospects like running back [player_tooltip player_id="20234" first="Willie" last="Shaw"], wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id="20262" first="Dwayne" last="Moorehead"], linebackers Ryan Whelan, &amp; [player_tooltip player_id="20328" first="Myles" last="Jones"]. The crusaders should be, without question, in the running for a Catholic League &amp; State Title. "We have a great vibe surrounding us this winter. I like the way we are handling the pandemic, and I look forward to an important winter." said Lausch.</p> <p dir="ltr">With a big junior season, expect Lausch’s recruiting to take off. College coaches have already begun to take notice, as he’s heard from the likes of Notre Dame, Harvard, and Yale. "I don’t have one dream school that stands out. I want to be able to go to a place where I can win big games and compete at the highest level possible," said Lausch. He does plan to visit some schools post-COVID-19, but nothing is set in stone right now. As to what position he’ll play at the next level, that remains to be seen. Lausch has his best football ahead of him at the quarterback position. Keep in mind; he only played quarterback in four full games. An entire off-season &amp; week to week game preparation will be colossal in his development. If he continues to grow as a vertical ball thrower, the potential of playing at the Division-one level is certainly attainable. He echoed something similar, "I feel like there is always room to improve in all areas of the game. I think more in-game experience is going to be huge because I’ve only started 4 games at QB. I try to learn a bit more and improve a bit every day."</p> <p dir="ltr">COVID-19 has pushed the 2020 season back to the winter of 2021. Student-athletes from across the state have been ushered away from the sidelines and are currently left in a state of limbo. The livelihood for so many high school prospects has been taken away for now. Being away from teammates has taken its toll on Lausch, "The toughest part about not playing this fall is not being able to go out and compete with my teammates. Obviously, we wish we were playing this fall, but we still have an opportunity in the spring, and we are going to take full advantage of that."</p> <p dir="ltr">I fully expect this young man to take an even bigger step forward in 2021. His God-given ability is not common in a two-way player and could help Rice take that next step towards a state title. Lausch knows the hype is there &amp; will be eagerly awaiting the start of the 2021 season, "Whenever we end up playing, I’ll be ready to play. I can’t wait to play with my guys and compete."</p>