Mike DeHaan will often log double duty for Andrew.

The 6-foot-6, 240-pound senior starts at end on the defensive line. When needed, he’ll slip in at left tackle on offense.

Though DeHaan has been effective at both positions, it’s likely he’ll play tight end when he heads to Northern Illinois.

The Thunderbolts’ double-wing offense, however, doesn’t employ a tight end. No big deal, according to DeHaan.

“Whatever position I need to play to help us win, I’m willing to do,” he said. “Playing tackle will help me with my blocking when I get to college and will allow me to focus on my route running and catching. And you never know. Northern Illinois recruited me as a tight end, but I’m going to do whatever they want.”

DeHaan’s team-first attitude isn’t a surprise. His father Dave was the ultimate team-first player during his days as a two-sport athlete for the Thunderbolts in the early 1990s.

There was a time growing up when Mike figured to play for his father, who is Andrew’s baseball coach.

But that father/son experience will be left to his younger brother Joe, a sophomore. Joe DeHaan is a skilled catcher who also plays basketball and football.

“I was never that good of a baseball player,” Mike DeHaan said. “I grew so fast in such a short period of time that I hurt my throwing arm. I’ve concentrated on football and basketball in high school.”

And he’s excelled at both.

Mike believed he would play basketball in college. But after his freshman year, that outlook began to change.

“I gained some weight and hit the weight room,” Mike said. “After that, my love grew for football. I’d love to play both sports in college, but that’s not going to happen.”

Mike DeHaan tries to live his life by the advice his father gave him when he was younger.

“He said, ‘You can control two things in life and sports and that’s attitude and effort,’ ” Mike said. “If you do those two things to the best of your ability, good things will happen.’ That’s what I’ve tried to do.”

That advice has proved effective in the classroom. Mike DeHaan ranks in the top 10 in his class with a 4.7 GPA and scored a 1,290 on the SAT.

Mustangs offense clicking: St. Rita quarterback Jake Zylman isn’t surprised at all by the offense’s production. The Mustangs’ no-huddle scheme generated 93 points in two games.

“I have weapons all around me,” said Zylman, a senior. “We are very fast and we can strike fast. Our goal every single game is to throw up a lot of points. We try to tire out our opponents and that makes it easier to drive down the field and score.”

Zylman has accounted for seven touchdowns, including three through the air. Running back Chris Childers is the Mustangs’ go-to running back, though they are keen on distributing the ball.

“We have other guys who can make things happen,” St. Rita coach Todd Kuska said. “We’re trying to keep everyone involved and prevent our opponents from keying on one guy.”

Did you know: Sandburg graduates Dan Feeney and Mike Schofield are teammates on the Los Angeles Chargers. Both are offensive linemen.

pdisabato@tribpub.com

Twitter @disabato