His team is 6-3 and headed for the Class 8A playoffs this weekend, but Downers Grove South football coach Mark Molinari is frustrated with his team’s inconsistent play.
But the left side of the offensive line, particularly junior Erik Swenson, has been more reliable for the Mustangs.
Swenson, a 6-foot-7, 300-pound left tackle, has been surrounded by hype since his freshman year. He has been a MaxPreps.com All-American the last two years and made an oral commitment to play at Michigan after his sophomore season.
“He’s not a fiery kid. He just goes about his business and doesn’t say much,” Molinari said. “He just knocks kids down. Sometimes he gets holding calls just because he engulfs kids. I’ve seen him pancake kids 10 times in a row. I’ve never seen something like that before. When in doubt, Erik will come through for us.”
Swenson does not mind the physical part of his on-field job description.
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“The joy I get as an offensive lineman is throwing kids to the ground,” he said with a laugh. “The first play of the game usually decides things for me. This past weekend I went up to the outside linebacker on the first play and flat out destroyed him. And that got me pumped for the rest of the game.”
Coaches are quick to point out that Swenson’s character makes him stand out as much as his football ability. It’s not unusual for Swenson to walk the hallways at Downers South and introduce himself to a group of special education students and offer up some help.
“He leads by example, not just on the football field but in the class room,” Molinari said.
Molinari hopes Swenson’s effort and leadership will turn things around for the Mustangs, who travel to face Simeon in a first-round playoff game Saturday.
He’s been such a big part of the Downers South program, in the public eye for so long and such a highly sought after recruit, it’s hard to remember that Swenson is still just a teenager. He’s hoping the postseason represents a fresh start for an offense he terms “bi-polar” — hot one weekend, cold the next.
Swenson will not sign his national letter of intent until his senior year, but until then he just wants to improve on his craft and enjoy the ride.
“It does make me feel good to get a lot of attention. The whole line deserves a lot of credit,” he said. “But I try not to think about it too much. I love to be recognized, but it’s hard to think about that stuff when you just want to play and be a normal high school kid.”