Football is a hit for Sandburg’s Charlie Snoreck.
It wasn’t always that way for the 6-foot-1, 180-pound junior wide receiver. He played a year with the Orland Park Pioneers in fifth grade, but that didn’t work out so well.
“I got hit a little too hard,” Snoreck said. “I was like, ‘I don’t know if I can take this.’ I thought I would just stick with baseball.”
Now?
Snoreck’s attitude is much different. Friends coaxed him back into the sport his freshman year in high school, and he said hitting is a part of the game he doesn’t mind anymore.
“You take a hit for your teammates and you hit somebody for your teammates,” he said. “That’s what makes this sport one of a kind. I’m glad I came back. I love it.”
Sandburg has been loving it lately. The Eagles (4-2, 2-0) are not only in position to earn a playoff bid, they are still alive for the SouthWest Suburban Blue championship.
The schedule isn’t easy. Sandburg plays host Friday to Bolingbrook (3-3, 1-0) and visiting Lincoln-Way East (6-0, 1-0) on Oct. 13 in conference. The Eagles close the regular season Oct. 20 with a crossover at home against district rival Stagg (3-3, 0-2).
Snoreck is a big reason for Sandburg’s success with a team-high 55 catches for 766 yards and eight touchdowns. He’s a favorite target of junior quarterback Anthony Shelton.
Shelton has completed 105 passes this season, with more than half going to Snoreck.
“The way he runs his routes is awesome,” Shelton said. “Sometimes, we have a play where he can just make up his route and he gets open. I rely on him a lot and he relies on me. We make it work. His route running is definitely top notch, for sure.
“In man coverage, he’s great at getting separation and getting open. Some teams double team him, and he still gets open.”
One of the reasons for that trust is both the quarterback and receiver have practiced together during off days and in the offseason.
“It’s a camaraderie piece,” Sandburg coach Troy McAllister said. “They learn what each other likes. Sometimes, you can develop that bond and then you see it on the field.
“They develop that body language and get a feel for what that person is going to do and how they are going to do it.”
Snoreck played basketball and was the starting center fielder for the varsity in baseball last season as a sophomore.
McAllister appreciates the various skills Snoreck brings to the table.
“He had a really high football IQ,” McAllister said. “A lot of times he’ll read the coverage and be the eyes for Shelton, and Shelton knows he can trust Charlie to run adjustments on his route.
“He has great hands. As a part of the baseball deal, he tracks the ball really well. He has a great knack of getting open and catching the ball.”
Except for his first attempt.
Snoreck made his varsity debut in the season opener against Prospect as a sophomore in 2022 — and his first impression was not that good.
“I remember the first pass they threw to me went right through my hands,” Snoreck said. “I was too nervous.
“I was like, ‘Geez, come on. You can’t be doing this.’ I started doubting myself.”
The second impression went much better. Snoreck said he caught a TD pass. The doubts began to evaporate.
“Once you get it down, it’s second nature,” he said.
While Snoreck isn’t ruling out baseball as a college option, football now ranks as his favorite sport.
“It’s an amazing game,” he said. “No other sport can compare. You have 11 guys on offense and 11 guys on defense. You all have to work together and pull it through.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
