Julian Wlodarczyk has reason to be stoked for his final season at Metea Valley.
The 6-foot-3, 190-pound senior committed to FCS powerhouse North Dakota State in June, joining lineman Bryce Effner (Penn State) as big recruiting wins for the Mustangs.
But the change in scheme brought on by first-year defensive coordinator Eric Kramer will make Wlodarczyk even more potent. The dynamic safety totaled 31 tackles last season.
“I think the new defense is great for me personally because I can be everywhere on the field,” Wlodarczyk said. “I can be linebacker, defensive end. I could be blitzing. I could be safety.
“I really think coach Kramer knows what he’s talking about with this defense. He has everything covered. I just really think he’s done his research on this defense, and I think this is going to be a great way to stop offenses this year.”
The Mustangs, who are looking to flip the script from a 1-8 finish in 2017, are in their second year of using a four-man front.
Senior defensive end Conor Murphy, junior linebacker Jack Belskis and senior safety Amarian Wilborn join Wlodarczyk in headlining the unit.
“We take a lot of pride,” Wilborn said. “I believe we take a lot of leadership and help put guys in the right direction. So we push everybody at practice and coming from (Julian and me), it’s good because everybody kind of looks up to us, too.”
Belskis led Metea’s defense with 69 tackles as a sophomore, while Murphy added 43 tackles and Wilborn had 42.
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The presence of Wlodarczyk and Wilborn in the secondary is a positive for the rest of the defense.
“You really hope that your (defensive backs) and your players playing behind you are making sure they’re doing really well in coverage because that gives you the time you need to get to the backfield and make a play,” Murphy said.
Junior quarterback Patrick Straub takes over the offense and will be surrounded by running back Jio Martinez, tight end Austin Frederick and receivers Wlodarczyk and Wilborn.
Frederick had 20 catches for 222 yards and three touchdowns as a sophomore, playing in all nine games. Martinez ran for 408 yards and two TDs.
“This year, I’ve improved releases a lot and my hands,” Frederick said. “I’ve personally thought they’ve always been well, but route running has become better. I’ve gotten quicker. I think that’s what has helped a lot.”
In limited time behind Garrett Despot, Straub threw for 107 yards in five games, including two starts.
“Those two games he had last year where he started, I think, really helped him,” Metea Valley coach Ben Kleinhans said. “It showed us that the moment wasn’t too big for him. He kept a calm demeanor about it and that made us excited for his future.”
Blake Baumgartner is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
