Jeremy Nelson remembers the disappointment on the faces of his teammates last season after Lincoln-Way East lost a Class 7A second-round game to Libertyville.

He felt powerless.

Nelson had missed the entire season after tearing the meniscus in his left knee a week before the season opener.

Witnessing the raw emotion of his teammates, Nelson made a vow to do everything in his power to avoid a similar experience in 2016.

“I felt helpless,” he said. “Seeing the seniors so emotional. I said to myself that I'll do anything I can to help us keep winning my senior year.'”

Nelson has lived up to his word.

Whether catching a pass, providing a block or supplying words of inspiration, Nelson has produced for the Griffins (9-2), who host Maine South (8-3) at 6 p.m. Saturday in a Class 8A quarterfinal.

As Lincoln-Way East's go-to receiver, Nelson, a senior, has 806 yards and 10 touchdowns on 53 catches.

“Jeremy has been All-State-caliber for us,” Lincoln-Way East coach Rob Zvonar said. “He battled back from the injury. He was frustrated after what happened last year. He's been a leader.”

Nelson is the prototype receiver. At 6-foot-4, he offers a big target. At 190 pounds, he's difficult to tackle — that is, if he's caught.

Nelson is fast. Real fast.

Nelson, however, is quick to point out he wasn't born with breakaway speed.

“I ran a 4.9 40 my freshman year,” Nelson said of his 40-yard dash time. “I had to work hard to get my time down. I had to get stronger and my form was terrible.”

Nelson hit the weights and, with the help of coaches, refined his running form.

“My arms flew side to side when I ran,” Nelson said. “The coaches had me straighten them out, more of an up-and-down motion. I also learned to relax and breathe when I run. Don't get tense.”

All the advice proved beneficial.

The summer entering his junior season, Nelson won the Griffins' fastest man competition with a 40 time of 4.43.

“I was pumped,” Nelson said. “Getting to 4.4 was a breakthrough for me.”

Nelson was then prepared to produce a breakout season in 2015. The knee injury changed that.

“I was confident going into that season,” Nelson said. “I was ready to have a good season. It was painful.”

The injury required five months of rehab, according to Nelson. After five months, the knee felt normal.

As opposing defenders can attest, Nelson is as good as ever.

He'd like to play college football, but will wait until the season is over before making a decision.

“Right now I'm focused on the season,” Nelson said.

It's been a season that produced a few unexpected hurdles. The Griffins earned the No. 1 spot in the Daily Southtown's preseason top 10. But losses to Homewood-Flossmoor and Bradley-Bourbonnais sent Lincoln-Way East out of the top five.

Nelson believes those losses benefited the Griffins.

“We had some missed opportunities in both games,” Nelson said. “But it wasn't the end of our season. As much as we wanted to win, those losses helped us. It gave us a gut check. We learned to persevere.”

For most of the season, Lincoln-Way East has alternated between Jake Arthur and Max Shafer at quarterback. While each has different strengths, Nelson has no preference as to which player directs the Griffins offense.

“They're both really good,” Nelson said. “It doesn't matter to me. Just throw me the ball and I'll try to make something happen.”

The Griffins are two wins away from advancing to the 8A state championship game. They'll need to knock off Maine South to move one step closer.

“Maine South has some big, athletic players,” Nelson said. “It's going to be a tough game. We have to stick together as a team. We're playing at home. It should be fun.”

pdisabato@tribpub.com

Twitter @disabato