Often out of sure necessity, high school football players going both ways has almost become an expectation.
For players like Iowa-bound Emmanuel Rugamba at Naperville Central and Isaiah Robertson at Neuqua Valley, combining secondary work with their wide receiver responsibilities isn’t a new concept.
When it comes to two-way players in the Naperville area this year, the exploits of Max Ihry at Waubonsie Valley and Nick Osikowicz at Neuqua Valley have taken it to different levels.
Coupled with the two positions – linebacker and running back – they’re playing and in the conference they’re playing in, the double duty Ihry and Osikowicz have undertaken is no small task.
Ihry knew full well he was going to be tasked with guiding a young Warrior defense for coach Paul Murphy.
As the only returning starter on Ron Griffin’s defensive unit, the 6-foot, 210-pound Ihry has picked up where his 110 tackles and 5 ½ sacks from 2014 left off.
Through five games, Ihry, who received his first Division I offer from Valparaiso last week, has recorded 56 tackles and two sacks while running for 432 yards and six TDs.
“I mean, it’s difficult just going from … playing on both sides of the ball, you don’t get much rest,” Ihry said. “But I think our defense playing so well is helping me out when I’m coming back from offense and going right to defense. Our young defense is really stepping up. That’s all I can really say.”
Griffin’s defensive charges have forced 10 turnovers through five games and have permitted opponents to just an average of nine points in its three victories.
That production has allowed Ihry to focus a little more offensively with Rodney Gee out with an injury and quarterback Jack Connolly getting more comfortable running the triple option.
“Max is a lot of help because you know even if you make the wrong read, he’s the kind of guy that can break that tackle,” Connolly said of Ihry in early September. “He’s pretty sure to get you a couple yards because of how hard he runs. You haven’t seen it yet, but he’s got the ability to bust one. You never know when maybe he’ll be able to bust one.”
His two fourth-quarter touchdown runs against Naperville Central on Sept. 19 helped cap a 107-yard night for him and a 15-14, come-from-behind victory for Waubonsie Valley.
With the Warriors trailing 14-0 going into the fourth, Ihry finally got them on the board with a 36-yard touchdown run through the middle of the Redhawk defense with just over seven minutes remaining.
For Metea Valley coach Ben Kleinhans, Ihry’s success is no surprise.
Ihry ran for 121 yards and a TD on 10 carries during the Warriors’ 21-14 victory over the Mustangs last November in a Class 8A first-round playoff game.
“I think it starts off with his conditioning. He’s in great shape,” Kleinhans said of Ihry. “I saw him in the summer and he’s obviously a very physical, big physical kid. But he’s obviously worked very hard on his conditioning to be able to do that. He’s a very good player on both sides of the ball.
“But to be able to carry the ball 15 to 20 times and then play MIKE linebacker in that defense (is a credit to him). They blitz him a lot too and that just goes to his mental toughness and he’s obviously in great shape because he’s very effective still at both places.”
Considering the heavy lifting Ihry is doing for the Warriors, it has been hard not to come away just as impressed with Osikowicz’s work for the Wildcats, as well.
At 6-feet and 205 pounds, Osikowicz is a vital cog inside of Rodney Jones’ defense at his outside linebacker spot.
Through five games, he has paced Jones’ defense with 52 tackles and six TFLs.
Osikowicz’s stellar linebacker play has given Neuqua Valley coach Bill Ellinghaus no inclination of moving him around in light of junior Jon Rhattigan suffering a torn ACL against Naperville Central in Week 2.
“Osik is just playing so good where he’s at right now,” Ellinghaus said following the 14-7 loss to the Redhawks, “and the fact we’re moving him on the offensive side of the ball as well – I don’t want to change his position right now. He’s taken on a big load. I don’t want to change his responsibilities now for him.”
With 279 rushing yards and eight touchdowns, Osikowicz has taken the baton and run with it amidst the running back by committee Neuqua Valley has been utilizing heavily.
His eight rushing touchdowns, which includes three against Metea Valley on Aug. 28 and three multi-TD games overall, leads all Naperville-area backs through five weeks.
“I really try not to focus on it that much,” Osikowicz said of his added responsibilities after running for a pair of touchdowns in the Wildcats’ 28-7 victory over the Warriors on Sept. 11. “I just trust everyone to do what they have to do to. Next man fills in and trust that they do the right job.”
As much as Murphy, Ellinghaus and teammates can heap praise on both Ihry and Osikowicz, the biggest complement a player can receive often comes from an opponent point-of-view.
For Naperville Central coach Mike Stine – a coach routinely used to going up against quality competition in the DVC – and Kleinhans, what Ihry and Osikowicz have been doing and will continue to do as the season wears on speaks volumes.
“It’s impressive that you can do that in our league and can you play nine games doing that?” Stine said. “We’ll see because both those teams are trying to do that.”
Kleinhans concurs.
“It’s rare because it’s such a physical position,” he said. “And both those kids – the Neuqua kid, too – they’re physical kids, big kids. That they can take the beating that those positions have (speaks to their ability).”
