Crete-Monee’s Terrell puts talent on display
By Patrick Z. McGavin For Sun-Times Media November 22, 2012 7:48PM
Crete-Monee quarterback Marcus Terrell throws against Rich East. | Patrick Gleason ~ For Sun-Times Media
State Football Playoffs
All games at Memorial
Stadium, Champaign
Television: Comcast SN
Friday’s schedule
Class 1A
Maroa (12-1) vs. Stockton
(13-0), 10 a.m.
Class 2A
Mercer County (13-0) vs.
Altoff Catholic (10-3), 1 p.m.
Class 3A
Aurora Christian (12-1)
vs. Tolono (12-1), 4 p.m.
Class 4A
Rock Island Alleman (12-1)
vs. Rochester (12-1), 7 p.m.
Saturday’s schedule
Class 5A
Montini (11-2) vs. Morris
(12-1), 10 a.m.
Class 6A
Crete-Monee (13-0) vs.
Cary-Grove (13-0), 1 p.m.
Class 7A
Lincoln-Way Eat (13-0) vs. Glenbard West (13-0), 4 p.m.
Class 8A
Mount Carmel (12-1) vs.
Glenbard North (12-1), 7 p.m.
Article Extras
Updated: December 24, 2012 6:54AM
When you throw the ball to one of the best high school receivers in the country, it is easy to sometimes get taken for granted.
Crete-Monee wideout Laquon Treadwell is the most sought-after receiver in the country. Even so, Marcus Terrell is awfully impressive in his own right. The 6-foot-2 senior quarterback has amassed more than 5,000 yards of total offense in his two years directing the Warriors’ attack.
Crete-Monee (13-0) is 23-1 in those games. Terrell is the perfect mixture of moxie, toughness and talent. He is a brilliant kid off the field with a 30 on the ACT.
His quick and agile thinking is a big reason Crete-Monee is marching toward history. The Warriors make their first-ever state title appearance at 1 p.m. Saturday against Cary-Grove (13-0) in the Class 6A state final at Memorial Stadium at the University of Illinois.
“Mentally the game has just slowed down for Marcus and he understands everything so well, especially in making the leap from his junior to senior years,” Crete-Monee coach Jerry Verde said.
Terrell directed two late scoring drives and scored the game-winner on a 2-point conversion run for the Warriors in their 28-27 victory over Lemont in the Class 6A semifinals. On the game-winning play, Terrell improvised after dropping back and then seeing an opening before bursting into the end zone.
“It just comes with preparation,” he said. “We have the kind of players that know how to make changes on the fly.”
Entering the state final, Terrell has thrown for 35 touchdowns, completing 219-of-326 passes for 3,127 yards. He has a 5-1 touchdown to interception ratio. Treadwell has caught 75 passes for 1,339 yards and 15 TDs. Lance Lenoir has 64 catches for 1,046 yards and 154 scores.
Terrell is also a perfectionist who holds himself to blame for the Warriors’ second-round playoff defeat to Peoria Richwoods last year.
“I wanted to be better,” Terrell said. “That loss pushed me personally to really work harder and make sure I make my teammates better.”
