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Lake County male athlete of the year: Libertyville's Ben Kimpler

Perhaps one of the most telling things about Ben Kimpler as an athlete is that he was a difference-maker even in his third sport.

A soon-to-be Division I college football player who would have also been recruited to play Division I baseball had he chosen that path instead of football, Kimpler matter-of-factly put up impressive numbers for the Libertyville basketball team this winter.

He averaged double-figures (13 ppg), was a monster on the boards (8 rpg) and hit 50 percent of his shots. And that's after barely doing anything for basketball in the off-season.

He was too busy with football weights, football camps, pitching lessons and baseball games.

"I think I might have shot around in the driveway at a friend's house a couple of times," Kimpler said of his basketball prep. "But pretty much from the end of (junior) season (in the spring of 2015) to the start of this past season (in November), I really never even picked up a ball. I didn't have a lot of time for basketball."

Over his high school career, Kimpler hasn't had a lot of time period, for much of anything besides school and sports.

He is a rare breed, one of those throw-back three-sport athletes who somehow make the juggle work in a world of specialization. While many high school kids eventually whittle their sports participation down to one-sport, Kimpler kept playing the three sports he grew up playing as a grade schooler.

He played football, basketball and baseball as a freshman at Libertyville and kept it going all four years. Kimpler finished his career this spring as a 12-sport athlete at Libertyville, and a nine-sport varsity athlete, who was a starter in all three sports from his sophomore year on.

Considering Kimpler was an all-North Suburban Conference pick in all three sports this year, as well as a Daily Herald all-area selection in all three sports, it was a no-brainer to crown him the Daily Herald's Lake County male athlete of the year.

"A lot of my friends have told me that they don't know how I do it, without any breaks. And there really aren't any breaks. There is no 'off-season,' " Kimpler said. "But before high school started, I told my parents that I really wanted to be a 12-sport athlete at Libertyville.

"I knew it wouldn't be easy, but I really wanted to accomplish it. I also didn't want to stop playing anything. I'm 100 percent glad I stuck with it. I really love all the sports I play."

Kimpler, who managed to also excel in school, finishing his last semester with all As and one B, will continue only football in college. He bagged a full scholarship to Miami of Ohio as a defensive lineman. The 6-foot-6, 240-pound Kimpler drew the attention of college scouts with his long reach and knack for getting to the quarterback. As a junior, he rolled up 10 sacks. He tacked on 9 more sacks this past season in leading Libertyville to the Class 7A state championship game and being named to the all-state team.

"Ben is a great competitor who plays hard on every snap," Libertyville coach Mike Jones said. "He is very athletic for his size and has a tough demeanor. He excels at rushing the passer, but he is equally tough against the run."

Kimpler is just tough in general.

One of the most amazing things about his 12-sport run is that he missed significant time only once due to injury. That was this spring in baseball when he missed about three weeks of pitching due to a shoulder injury that was caused by overuse.

But even then, Kimpler, who threw a no-hitter against Mundelein right before the shoulder injury, kept playing. In fact, he was an everyday right fielder for the Wildcats and wound up exceling at the plate. He blasted a team-high 7 home runs on the season.

"I think a little bit of this 12-sport thing is luck, with not really ever being injured," Kimpler said. "Yeah, I had some sprained ankles and things like that, but I always just played through it. I think if I had to battle through a bunch of rehab for injuries, it probably would have been pretty brutal to keep playing three sports every year."

Interestingly, Kimpler's theory on why he didn't have to battle injuries while playing three sports every year is because … he played three sports every year.

"I think when you play three sports, you're using different muscles and you're not working the same muscles over and over again like you do when you play just one sport," Kimpler said. "I think I was able to keep my entire body strong and, besides the small shoulder thing I had in baseball this year, I never really got to the point where I overworked any part of my body too much."

Then again, Kimpler's tear ducts got a little overused this year.

As each sports season came to an end, it hit Kimpler particularly hard that his days as a three-sport star were coming to an end.

"Before kickoff of the state championship (football) game, I remember just looking into the stands and seeing all of our fans, people who really supported us, and supported me and took me under their wing four years ago," Kimpler said. "I was thinking about all of my teammates and how many people I've played with over the years.

"I broke down in tears."

Same thing happened when Kimpler fouled out of his last basketball game, a regional tournament game against Niles North.

"I went over to the bench and un-tied my shoes and it hit me that was it for basketball," Kimpler said. "That was an emotional moment."

The heaviest tears came after Kimpler's last baseball game, a regional loss to Mundelein on Libertyville's home field.

"The tears really came after that game," Kimpler said with a laugh. "I knew it was all over, my whole career at Libertyville. That was really tough.

"But I also know that now I have an opportunity to make another name for myself. At Miami. I'm really looking forward to that."

• Follow Patricia on Twitter: @babcockmcgraw

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