Tazerick Covington spent last season watching his brother Tavarius playing for North Lawndale, anxiously awaiting the day he’d suit up for the varsity himself.
It didn’t take long. As a freshman running back, he’s already a featured part of the Phoenix’s offense.
“From the first time we saw him in practice, we knew he was something special,” coach Reggie Collins said. “We hope we can ride that horse all the way home.”
Covington is both fast and powerfully built.
“This is my fourth year playing football,” he said. “I’m learning from the older guys. They make me work for sure.”
He got his work in Thursday, racking up 60 yards on eight carries and catching a 38-yard touchdown pass as North Lawndale knocked off Rauner 40-7 at Rockne Stadium. Tavarius Covington, a senior wide receiver, caught a 21-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Tysean Perkins.
“I love playing with my brother,” Tavarius Covington said. “It has definitely been fun. We get to talk to each other about football at home and work on stuff together.”
Both teams were late for the scheduled 4:15 start, so the game began at 5:30 and had a running clock. There were just 31 plays.
Perkins was 4-for-5 passing for 95 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He also had four carries for 80 yards with touchdown runs of 61 and three yards.
“I’ve been telling everyone since the summer that [Tazerick Covington] is the freshman to watch,” Perkins said. “He’s lived up to it so far.”
Perkins played wide receiver and cornerback last season.
“It was my turn to step up and take over at quarterback,” he said. “I like that everything is under my control. The game moves at the pace I want it to move.”
North Lawndale (2-0) jumped out to a quick 16-0 lead and never trailed. Rauner (1-1) scored on a kickoff return by Taeiron Delaney late in the fourth quarter.
“We tried to strike early because of the running clock,” said Collins, who’s in his first year as head coach after serving as defensive coordinator last season. “Our run game is nice, and we have some tall wide receivers that played track, so we will use that to our advantage.”
The Phoenix have qualified for the state playoffs the last three seasons and six of the last 11 but have never won a playoff game. Last season was their first chance to host one; they lost 48-6 to Prairie Central.
“This year we have more speed, and the new kids that came in have hunger,” Collins said. “We will be ready and locked in to do what we need to do.”
With the Public League’s realignment of football conferences this season, North Lawndale is in the White-North and will qualify for the state playoffs the traditional way. Rauner, in the White-Northwest, would have to win its six-team conference to qualify.
“Our teamwork is better so far this year,” Perkins said. “We work together, and everyone is connected. I don’t think anyone can beat us.”