Football: Bush is HHS’ third all-state player in a row
The Highland High School football program enjoyed stirring success over the past three seasons on the gridiron, so it was only fitting that state-wide recognition followed swiftly behind each time.
Austin Bush being named to the to the to the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association (IHSFCA) Class 5A All-State Team a couple of weeks ago marked the third year in a row that a Bulldog football player was bestowed with all-state honors.
Bush joined really good company with Highland’s last two all-staters, Tanner Farmer, who is a sophomore at the University of Nebraska, and Nick Czar, who is a freshman at the U.S. Naval Academy.
“I feel that we have given our players a blueprint of what needs to be done to become successful if they so choose to do so,” said Highland coach Jimmy Warnecke, who has directed his troops to records of 11-1, 9-2 (first loss on forfeit due to teacher’s strike) and 8-2 in the past three seasons. All three of our All-state recipients have achieved this because they decided what type of football player they wanted to be and had the work ethic and discipline to see it through.”
Bush, who is listed at 6-foot-4, 285 pounds, was picked as a defensive lineman, where he amassed 41 total tackles and one quarterback sack. Bush was also stellar on the offensive line for the Bulldogs.
“We are extremely proud of Austin Bush for his all-state recognition. This is a tremendous honor that is well deserved,” Warnecke said. “Austin was our ‘Rock’ this season.”
As a Bulldog, Bush was a three-year starter, two-time unbeaten Mississippi Valley Conference champion and played in six playoff games during his high school career.
“He was a captain this past season and I cannot think of a player who cared more about the game of football,” Warnecke said. “As good of a player as Austin is on the field, I’m not sure it can compare with the person he is off the field.”
Bush is currently undergoing completion of his Eagle Scout project while he maintains a 4.5 GPA (5.0 Scale).
“Austin is a model student and citizen,” Warnecke said. “Austin also received all-state academic honors. The list goes on, but bottom line, anyone could spend five minutes with him and see the outstanding person he is. I am prouder of him for this than any of his accomplishments on the football field.”
Warnecke said his fondest memory of Bush was having him in eighth grade PE.
“I feel we were really able to establish a solid relationship before ever being on the football field,” Warnecke said. “He competed so hard every day in class and had an infectious personality that lightened the mood for everyone around him. I remember then saying to myself that he would be a special player in the years ahead.”
In addition to recognizing Bush for his great performance on the field, Warnecke said the award also hopefully means a little more attention for Bush from higher level football programs.
“As a staff, we feel that Austin is very capable of playing, and in time, excelling at the D1, D1-AA level,” the HHS coach said. “Bigger schools are already starting to show more interest with recruiting picking up in the last couple weeks.”
Warnecke admitted that Bush will be hard to replace, but this holds true for many of the graduating players over the past several years.
“However, players like Austin have set the bar very high and our younger players are determined to raise that bar,” Warnecke said. “I cannot thank Austin and the many other seniors enough for modeling what it takes to be successful through off-season training sessions, summer/fall practices and Friday nights.”
This story was originally published December 2, 2015 at 7:45 AM with the headline "Football: Bush is HHS’ third all-state player in a row."