Oak Park and River Forest High School quarterback Lloyd Yates usually realizes the goals he sets for himself.
The last time he failed to do so was his freshman year, when an injury to starting quarterback John Phelan meant Yates had a chance to earn a spot as the varsity backup. OPRF coach John Hoerster gave Yates and sophomore Jake Lintvelt a two-day tryout, which Lintvelt won.
“Jake was more ready but it was very clear that [Yates] had a ton of potential and was very talented,” Hoerster said. “He just didn’t have enough time in our system.”
He does now.
Yates took over the starting job as a sophomore and is in his third year of leading the Huskies’ resurgence. OPRF is 22-8 with Yates under center.
“Ever since I came to OP, it’s always been one of my goals to be starting quarterback, especially trying to be a freshman on varsity,” Yates said. “That didn’t happen, but as a sophomore it happened and it worked out and it’s going well.”
That is an understatement. The 6-2, 185-pound Northwestern recruit is one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the Chicago area and has committed to Northwestern.
Through Friday, Yates has thrown for 3,907 yards and 39 touchdowns in his career while rushing for 2,407 yards and 24 TDs.
But numbers don’t tell the whole story. Hoerster has seen a consistent improvement in Yates from year to year, both in his role on the team and in his performance.
“You can see the progression from sophomore to senior year,” Hoerster said. “He’s always had the physical tools, but now he’s upped his mental game. Now as a play-caller, I’m able to give him several different options and be confident he’s going to call the right play.”
Yates was mostly a game manager as a sophomore, tasked with handing off to star tailback Jakari Cammon. The Huskies went 7-4, reaching the second round of the Class 8A playoffs as Yates accounted for eight rushing touchdowns and 11 touchdown passes.
“He had a terrific year,” Hoerster said. “We didn’t put a lot on his plate. He had an opportunity to learn the offense and develop as a football player.”
The Huskies beat Hinsdale Central twice that year. After the second game, a 28-24 playoff win, Yates told Hoerster how excited he was to have two more seasons.
Yates and the Huskies have provided their fans with plenty of excitement since then. They went 9-2 and reached the second round again last year as Yates blossomed into a star, rushing for 935 yards and 10 scores and throwing for 1,958 yards and 20 TDs.
OPRF opened this season by beating Lincoln-Way East, which hasn’t lost since, on the road and is 6-2 following Friday’s 21-17 loss to Hinsdale Central. The Huskies have been ranked as high as sixth by Chicago daily newspapers and Yates has continued to mature.
“I’ve definitely put in a lot of work in the off season with my teammates,” Yates said. “[This senior class has] been playing [together] since eighth grade pretty much.
“We’ve built a bond these past four years and gotten bigger, stronger and smarter together and that’s why come together and we’re having the success we’re having.”
But the linchpin clearly is Yates, who has rushed for 831 yards and 16 touchdowns and completed 67-of-112 passes for 919 yards and nine touchdowns. While he’s known for his scrambling ability, that is never his first option.
“He’s only going to run it himself if it’s the right thing to do,” Hoerster said. “Defenses are going to take something away but every defense has a weakness and we have to figure out what it is.
“He can improvise when the defense seemingly has taken everything away. He can find a way to make a play out of nothing and that is a defensive coordinator’s nightmare.”
Yates demonstrated that ability against Hinsdale Central, which blanked the Huskies for three quarters. Yates started rushing up the middle, gaining 86 yards over the final 10 minutes.
The Huskies scored 17 points in the fourth quarter, with Yates making several athletic scrambles to complete passes for first downs. He ran for one touchdown to tie the game and later rolled right and fired a 16-yard TD pass to Ke’Juan Ratcliff to give OPRF a 17-14 lead with 2:11 remaining.
With Yates on the sidelines, Hinsdale Central rallied to win the game on a Matt Rafferty touchdown pass with 17 seconds left, but it didn’t take away from what Yates did.
“He was great,” OPRF senior offensive tackle Adam Lemke-Bell said. “He kind of resuscitated us when we needed it.”
The 6-5, 255-pound Lemke-Bell, who protects Yates’ blind side, said the linemen appreciate their leader’s intelligence.
“He makes really good decisions back there,” Lemke-Bell said. “You always feel like any blocks you make aren’t going to go to waste. He makes really good choices and he’s fast, he’s smart and he’s one of my best friends.”
Yates and Lemke-Bell will both continue their playing careers at Northwestern, which is the alma mater of Lloyd’s father, William, and brother, Billy, who graduated two years ago.
“It’s awesome,” Yates said. “My brother was on the drumline so as I was growing up in eighth grade or so we always used to go to Northwestern games and sit right by the drumline and watch the Cats play. It was always my dream to play there one day and now it’s happening and it’s unreal.”
Hoerster thinks Yates will be an impact player for Northwestern as he continues to improve his leadership ability.
“I gave him a big challenge in the off season, that he had to be a vocal leader,” Hoerster said. “Last year we had plenty of guys like that and he didn’t need to be vocal. I’ve been really impressed with how he’s improved his leadership skills.
“I think he’s a starting quarterback [in college]. I’ve coached a lot of really, really good quarterbacks and I’ve never had a quarterback as talented as Lloyd Yates.”
Yates and Lemke-Bell talk about Northwestern every day but their immediate focus is on playing with the Huskies at another Big Ten venue, Memorial Stadium in Champaign, the site of the state finals.
Hoerster has planted the seed in the Huskies’ minds that a state championship is within reach. Yates believes the team has the mentality and ability to go all the way.
“I really do,” Yates said. “We have the right coaching staff to do that and we have the right team. I think if we just keep getting better every week and progressing and seeing improvement, I think we’ll be fine and we’ll be playing at Thanksgiving.”