Tazerick Covington spent last season watching his brother Tavarius play for North Lawndale, anxiously waiting for the chance to suit up for the varsity himself.
It didn’t take long. The freshman running back is already a featured part of the Phoenix offense.
“From the first time we saw him in practice we knew he was something special,” North Lawndale coach Reggie Collins said. “We hope we can ride that horse all the way home.”
Covington is fast and powerfully built.
“This is my fourth year playing football,” Covington said. “I’m learning from the older guys. They make me work for sure.”
North Lawndale knocked off Rauner 40-7 on Thursday at Rockne Stadium.
Tazerick Covington had eight carries for 60 yards and caught a 38-yard TD pass. Tavarius Covington caught a 21-yard pass from quarterback Tysean Perkins, so the Covington family headed home with 2 TDs.
“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.”
Perkins was 4 of 5 passing for 95 yards with two TDs and one interception. He had four carries for 80 yards with TD runs of 61 and three yards.
“I’ve been telling everyone since the summer that [Covington] is the freshman to watch,” Perkins said. “He’s lived up to it so far.”
Perkins, a senior, played wide receiver and cornerback last season.
“It was my turn to step up and take over at quarterback,” Perkins said. “I like that everything is under my control. The game moves at the pace I want it to move.”
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 total plays.
North Lawndale (2-0) jumped out to a quick 16-0 lead and never trailed. Rauner (1-1) scored on a kickoff return TD by Taeiron Delaney late in the fourth quarter.
“We tried to strike early because of the running clock,” Harris said. “Our run game is nice and we have some tall wide receivers that played track so we will use that to our advantage.”
This is Harris’ first year as North Lawndale’s head coach. He was the defensive coordinator last season.
The Phoenix have qualified for the state playoffs the past three seasons and six of the last 11. But they have never won a playoff game. Last season was their first chance to host a playoff game. They lost 48-6 to Prairie Central.
“This year we have more speed and the new kids that came in have hunger,” Harris said. “We will be ready and locked in to do what we need to do.”
The Public League has realigned the 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, will 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.”