On the first day of school at Lincoln-Way East, senior wide receiver Blaise LaVista sang “My Way.”
In front of the entire student body.
“My parents are musicians and my mom is a singer,” LaVista said. “So, I went up there and showed the crowd what I had. I was a little nervous. That crowd of 3,000 was like my Woodstock.
“It was a fun time.”
The Griffins are going to find out how much fun LaVista, a Libertyville transfer, is on the football field as well. The Washington recruit boosts an already-potent offense for Lincoln-Way East, which comes in at No. 2 in the Daily Southtown preseason rankings.
LaVista dazzled Libertyville’s fans for two years, with 60 catches for 1,447 yards and 24 touchdowns last season for the Wildcats after 47 catches for 1,091 yards and 15 TDs as a sophomore.
At Lincoln-Way East, LaVista will team up with another star in senior quarterback Jonas Williams, a USC recruit. The two will be paired up again after being basketball teammates for Mean Streets on the AAU circuit when they were in grade school.
“It’s pretty hard to complain when you have a USC commit as your quarterback,” LaVista said. “We’ve known each other a long time. We’ve played 7-on-7 the last couple of years and we’ve thrown a lot of balls to each other.
“He’s great. Every single day we get better and better.”
Libertyville’s Blaise LaVista (4) catches a punt while being covered by Deerfield’s Aaron Pelts (4 during a Class 6A first-round playoff game in Libertyville on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024. (Rob Dicker / Daily Southtown)
Williams transferred from Bolingbrook for his junior year with the Griffins. He threw for 2,926 yards and 42 TDs last season.
With that in mind, Williams can’t wait for the Griffins to get the season rolling Friday at Maine South in their quest for the Class 8A state title. He also knows he has a bevy of weapons, including the 6-foot-2, 190-pound LaVista.
“Obviously, he’s a great receiver,” Williams said of LaVista. “He has the skill set, the toughness and that receiver aura that a top guy brings.
“A lot of people don’t see the energy and what he brings to the team. He’s not a quiet guy. You know when he’s in the room. I say that in a good way.”
LaVista, who’s a hard worker, also is a perfectionist.
“I have that itch,” he said. “Whenever I do something wrong, I have to do it 100 times over to do it right.”
Because of that, LaVista ran a play over and over after a recent practice due to a mistake.
Lincoln-Way East quarterback Jonas Williams (13) throws on the run against Lockport during a Southwest Valley Blue game in Frankfort on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (John Smierciak / Daily Southtown)
“I had one mishap where I was a yard too short on a hitch and I had to go out and rep it out,” LaVista said. “That kind of stuff … I still caught the ball, but if I want to get to where I want to be and get to where I’m going, I want to do all of the small things right.
“It’s just infectious. I can’t help myself.”
LaVista loves football so much that the 5 a.m. practices in Frankfort don’t bother him.
“I get up at 4 in the morning and start screaming, happy to go play football,” he said.
LaVista got his athletic and musical chops from his parents, Mike and Angela. They both played sports in high school, with Mike being a four-sport athlete at Lake Forest Academy. And they both were members of the Rock City 7 cover band.
Maybe Blaise’s singing ability will come in handy if he ever makes it to the NFL.
“You will see that eventually if I ever get on one of those ‘Hard Knocks’ episodes,” LaVista said. “I’ll have a stellar performance. I’m looking forward to that.”
Lincoln-Way East’s Brody Gish (20) runs the ball against Minooka during a Class 8A second-round playoff game in Minooka on Friday, Nov. 8, 2024. (Troy Stolt / Daily Southtown)
Quick hits
Team: Lincoln-Way East.
2024 record: 12-1.
Offensive leaders: Jonas Williams, senior, quarterback; Blaise LaVista, senior, wide receiver; Mason Halliman, junior, lineman; Jay Cawthon, junior, wide receiver.
Defensive leaders: Jacob Alexander, senior, linebacker; Gage LaDere, senior, lineman; Chance Turner, senior, lineman; Jacob Onik, junior, defensive end.
X-factor: Brody Gish, senior, running back.
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
