Boone Thorgesen remembers the reaction when Geneva junior Bennett Konkey ran the 100 meters in 10.25 seconds this spring.
‘‘There were gasps in the stadium at Wheaton [Warrenville] South,’’ Thorgesen told the Sun-Times.
Those fans weren’t the only ones taking notice of Konkey’s speed.
Konkey’s football recruiting stock soared during a track season that ended with him winning the 100- and 200-meter titles in Class 3A last month in Charleston.
A three-star wide receiver who is the consensus No. 19 prospect in the state in the 2027 cycle, Konkey committed to Illinois this month. He’s the second Power Four receiver to come out of Geneva in three seasons after Talyn Taylor, who’s heading into his redshirt-freshman season at Georgia.
‘‘He glides kind of like Talyn,’’ national recruiting analyst Clint Cosgrove told the Sun-Times.
Konkey proved that time at WW South wasn’t a fluke by going unbeaten in the 100 and winning all but one 200 race this season.
‘‘That’s a testament to him because he was the guy everybody was chasing all season,’’ said Thorgesen, who is Konkey’s track and football coach.
But what makes Konkey an elite football player isn’t just his speed. He’s also a solid 6-1, 190-pounder strong enough and smart enough to win battles with defenders.
‘‘He gets on top of defensive backs quickly,’’ Cosgrove said. ‘‘He has a knack of getting them to flip their hips the wrong way. He’s very hard to cover one-on-one. You’ll see him break tackles and keep going.’’
Thorgesen knows Konkey will be seeing plenty of double coverage this season and has been scheming ways to counter it.
‘‘He’s going to be [lined up] at just about every position,’’ Thorgesen said. ‘‘And, you know, it’s hard to put a defense around a kid if you don’t know where he’s at.’’
Konkey caught 41 passes for 739 yards and nine touchdowns last season, bringing his two-year totals to 70 receptions for 1,287 yards and 15 TDs. He also offers some intangibles for the Vikings, who are looking to improve on a 4-5 finish last season.
‘‘He’s a tremendous character kid,’’ Thorgesen said. ‘‘He works his butt off. He does everything you ask as a coach. He’s the first one here. He’s working extra. He leads by example.’’
More Illinois commits
Illini coach Bret Bielema continued to prioritize local talent by adding recent commitments from St. Laurence linebacker Sean Rice and Oak Forest kicker Ulysses Morales.
Rice is a three-star prospect ranked 44th in the state in his class. The 6-2, 210-pounder said his recruiting took off after he moved to linebacker last season.
‘‘It was a big shift,’’ he told the Sun-Times. ‘‘I had gone on visits to MAC schools as a [defensive] end. It was kind of a crazy flip from when I was a D-end that they kind of didn’t really pay attention to.’’