Lake Zurich’s Kaden Abrantes isn’t flashy and is content to let someone else be the focus of attention.

The 5-foot-7, 175-pound senior running back also won’t intimidate anyone coming off the bus.

But Abrantes is abundantly productive.

“I’m just a guy that gets yards,” he said. “I’m there whenever the coaches need me. I’m an all-around player and can do whatever gets thrown at me.”

On Saturday, Abrantes rushed for 131 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries as the fourth-seeded Bears won 46-13 at home against 13th-seeded Grant in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs.

Abrantes’ 3-yard scoring plunge put Lake Zurich (8-2), which will play Antioch (8-2) in the second round, ahead 24-0 midway through the second quarter. He later showed his big-play ability by rambling 55 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth.

Lake Zurich’s Christopher Chang scores a touchdown against Grant during a game in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs in Lake Zurich on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. (Rob Dicker / News-Sun)

Meanwhile, senior linebacker/receiver Christopher Chang returned the opening kickoff 72 yards for a touchdown, made two interceptions and took a short hitch pass from senior quarterback Reid Pfeifer 70 yards for another touchdown.

“We have a bunch of good players, and they can’t cover all of us,” Abrantes said. “So it works out for me and works out for my buddies.”

It works for Lake Zurich too. As the season has progressed, Abrantes’ contributions have become a staple in a balanced offense, which also features senior Evan Peterson on the perimeter and senior Ryan Hasemeyer in the backfield.

During the offseason, however, the coaching staff didn’t know what Abrantes would bring to the table, largely because a nagging ankle injury sidelined him for most of his junior season.

“He’s kind of been the bell cow for us this year, but we didn’t know what we were going to get from him coming off last year,” Lake Zurich coach Ron Planz said. “He was one of our better kids coming out of the Flames (feeder) program and was really good as a freshman and sophomore. He’s done a great job for us.”

Coinciding with Abrantes’ frustrating junior season, the Bears missed the playoffs for the first time since 2015. He has been a key factor in the turnaround.

“I knew our team was going to do well when the next day after we didn’t make the playoffs, everyone was in the weight room,” Abrantes said.

“I’ll be honest, a lot of people doubted me, but I believed in myself. People were saying that I’m injury-prone, too short, not fast enough. It just took grinding through, and I used it as motivation.”

Lake Zurich’s Kaden Abrantes picks up yards against Grant during a game in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs in Lake Zurich on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. (Rob Dicker / News-Sun)

That’s paying dividends for Abrantes. Against Grant (6-4), he increased his season rushing total to 941 yards and reached double-digits in rushing touchdowns.

“It’s fun knowing he’s going to run hard behind us, and if we get our job done, we know he’ll get his job done,” Lake Zurich senior center Jake Pacini said. “We don’t even need those big plays from him, but it’s nice knowing that he’ll get his 5 yards, 5 yards, 5 yards, which helps wear down the defense. It makes the defense not want to be in there anymore.”

Pacini described a physicality that one might not expect from someone with Abrantes’ frame.

“The low man wins normally,” Abrantes said. “I feel like I’m pretty strong for a back of my size, and I pride myself on my strength and a little bit on my speed as well.

“But it’s all about leverage. People try to get low, but I’m already low. If I get lower, they can’t beat me. I explode up.”

Lake Zurich’s Kaden Abrantes (22) outruns Grant’s Larry Williams on his way to the end zone during a game in the first round of the Class 6A playoffs in Lake Zurich on Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025. (Rob Dicker / News-Sun)

Abrantes’ size is also central to a message he hopes to drive home to his younger brothers, CJ and Lyndon, who are in eighth grade and fifth grade, respectively. The pair were among the first people to greet Abrantes after the game.

“I’m mainly here to prove something to my brothers,” Abrantes said. “I tell them it doesn’t matter how tall you are. As long as you work hard — work hard in the weight room and work hard on your mental game — you can do anything you want. Hopefully, they’re even better than me.”

Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/01/6a-football-grant-lake-zurich-kaden-abrantes/