Senior QB Johnny O'Brien leading Fremd High School football's high-flying offense

Expectations are high for Fremd High School football, after a 9-2 finish and second-round playoff exit last year, led by quarterback Johnny O'Brien.

O'Brien threw for over 3,400 yards and 39 touchdowns his junior season at Fremd last year. He led a Vikings offense that averaged just over 40 points per game with poise.

"Johnny is one of the best quarterbacks I've ever seen. I've been playing with him since freshman year. He got me really invested," Fremd wide receiver and defensive back MarQuan Brewster said.

"He's got the car keys out there. A lot of times we'll call the plays, and he'll change them out there, he'll put us in the right play. He's one of the best quarterbacks I've ever seen at keeping the play alive, and being able to throw the ball anywhere on the field," said head coach Lou Sponsel.

What also makes the quarterback and "gym rat" – as his coaches called him – different is a desire to constantly improve.

"I don't want to let anyone outwork me, because I know once I stop, people are going to pass me up. So that's kind of my mindset. Just keep on working hard, and work as hard as I possibly can, and good things will come," O'Brien said.

What came the summer after his sophomore season was an offer to his dream school – Northwestern.

"I've been going to Northwestern games since I was 6 years old. My mom has a lot of photos of me when I was younger decked out in Northwestern gear. So I always really wanted to go there," he said.

O'Brien isn't the only Viking staying close to home. Offensive lineman Owen Jakubczak committed to Northwestern in June after attending a camp.

"They brought us back into coach Braun's office; and me, Johnny, and our o-line coach were all in the meeting when he offered me, and I was like, 'Coach is this offer committable?' and then he was like, 'yeah,' and I was like, 'I would love to commit,'" he said.

"That was a really special moment for me to see one of my best friends kind of accomplish his goal too. He's a dog out there, so I'm excited to have him blocking for me a couple more years," O'Brien said.

"They're a riot. They're such a blast to have every single day. They're authentic, they're real. It's like watching two brothers out there," Sponsel said.

While O'Brien and Jakubczak will be teammates for a few more years in Evanston, the seniors are focused on making the time they have left at Fremd count on a team with experience that has a chip on its shoulder.

"We had a tough loss in the playoffs. We believed as a team we could go farther than that, and I believe we will this year," Jakubczak said.

"Bring a state championship to this school, that's what our goal is. Obviously we have stepping stones to get there, and that's a long ways away, and we have to build off whatever momentum we have week-to-week, but the goal for this team is a state championship," O'Brien said.

With a few flashy plays made by the quarterback along the way.

"We look at each other as a coaching staff and we're like, 'okay,'" Sponsel said. "You just don't see what we do offensively much at the high school level, because there's not many Johnny O'Briens out there."

Fremd won its opening game this season, dominating Lake Zurich 35-3 last week. O'Brien threw for 3 touchdowns and more than 300 yards. Fremd will face Buffalo Grove on Friday.