As a three-sport athlete, Lake Zurich senior Evan Peterson is accustomed to multitasking.
Depending on the time of year, Peterson may juggle two or even all three of his sports — football, basketball and lacrosse — which is increasingly rare during an era of specialization.
“I’ve always appreciated my coaches being supportive of me playing other sports and feel lucky that there’s flexibility to remain focused on all three,” he said. “I’ve never had a favorite sport. Whatever sport I’m playing at that time is my favorite.”
The 5-foot-10, 165-pound Peterson is even multitasking on the football field this season, getting involved in all three phases for the Bears (5-1, 4-0), who are tied with Stevenson and Warren atop the North Suburban Conference, have outscored their past five opponents 167-16 and would clinch a playoff berth with a road win against Mundelein on Friday.
In addition to reprising his role as a starting cornerback, Peterson is playing receiver and returning punts and kickoffs. Perhaps it isn’t surprising that he fulfills all of his responsibilities with a high level of effectiveness.
“He’s a really good athlete, but what really helps him is his grit and determination,” Lake Zurich coach Ron Planz said. “He does all of these things for us, he’s the point guard on the basketball team and he’s one of the best lacrosse players in the school.
“He’s not super imposing physically, and he’s not much of a rah-rah guy. But I’d struggle to find a harder worker.”
Peterson doesn’t think his busy schedule is a burden. Instead, he finds benefits in it.
“Because I play other sports, I’m not able to cut corners,” he said. “It doesn’t make me different from anyone I’m playing with, and I like being able to show younger kids that you can make more than one sport work.”
Peterson is also making multiple positions work. He has the most experience at cornerback, where he has made 24 tackles this season, so he has noticed the most growth at that position. He has gotten bigger and stronger, which has helped, but those aren’t the only factors.
“I’ve gotten a lot better at watching film, which has made me able to apply things on the field in a better way,” Peterson said. “Even if it allows me to cheat a little bit this way or a little bit that way, that’s really helpful.
“Last year, I was going out there trying not to make a mistake, but now I’m going out there trying to make plays.”
A perfect example is his interception during the Bears’ 33-0 win over Northern Lake County Conference co-leader Antioch in Week 2. It reminded him of another play one year earlier.
“What was cool about that play was that it was the same coverage and the same concept,” he said. “Last year, I opened to the outside instead of the inside. This year, I opened to the inside and jumped the slot and got the interception.
“If you fail at something, getting it right makes it even sweeter.”
Peterson has had the opportunity to play a lot of snaps at receiver too. He has scored two touchdowns, both on screen passes.
“Any way I can get on the field, I’ll take it,” he said. “I feel like we’ve added some creative wrinkles this year, and being involved in some of that has been fun.”
Peterson typically plays in the slot, so executing a screen pass can involve slipping to the outside to wait for the play to develop or staying home near the middle of the field, where there is significantly more traffic. His second touchdown, a 22-yarder that closed out the scoring in the Bears’ 31-0 conference win over Zion-Benton last week, was the latter version.
“We call it the ‘screen of doom’ because it can involve running straight into the defensive line if they read it,” Peterson said. “There’s a second when the ball is in the air that you’re waiting for it to come down and your back is to the defense.
“You have to trust your blockers that they lined things up correctly. Otherwise, you get crushed.”
Trust goes both ways. Teammates like senior Ethan Elliott, who starts opposite Peterson at cornerback, also plays receiver and joins him in lacrosse in the spring, trust him too.
“He’s super-talented, and to see him balance all that he does is impressive,” Elliott said. “I’ve learned so much from him, partly because of how much time he’s put into it. If you ask him a question and you ask the coaches the same question, you get the same words.”
Peterson hopes he gets the chance to continue putting time into football until late November. Basketball and lacrosse seasons will follow.
“It’s definitely in the back of my mind that I’m getting toward the end, and every snap means a little bit more,” he said. “It will definitely be a lifestyle change where I’ll be going from 100 miles per hour to zero.
“I’ll have had plenty of games under my belt, and by the time I get to college, I’ll be ready to hang it up.”
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter.