John Deering, the Scouts senior linebacker who transferred to Lake Forest from Loyola Academy after his freshman year, has certainly left an indelible legacy on the Scouts’ football program. Deering, who amassed 76 total tackles in 10 games for the Scouts in 2017, was recently awarded All-State Honorable Mention honors by the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association. The senior, who was the undisputed leader of the defense, battled through injury all season and still managed to catalyze a constantly-improving defensive unit. After a successful shoulder surgery last week in the offseason, Deering will now likely be away from full contact until his freshman season in college.

Though Deering has received interest from Division 1 programs such as Air Force, he is also considering attending a high academic Division III institution to maximize his student-athlete experience. With a GPA above 4.6, Deering will likely make his decision relatively soon. Wherever he decides to go, the school that will receive John Deering is getting a pure winner who was the heart and soul of the 2017 Lake Forest High School football team. Aside from his 76 tackles, Deering also had 3 sacks, 8 tackles for a loss, and one receiving touchdown on offense.

The list of the 2017 All-State team in 6A is listed below.