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player ready...Barrington offensive lineman Owen Fors is a quick study.
The 6-foot-4, 300-pound senior has committed to Northwestern and has been invited to participate in the 2025 U.S. Army Bowl in Frisco, Texas. But Fors didn’t play football until his freshman year.
“I played flag football for three or four years but stopped in sixth grade,” he said. “I just wasn’t feeling it. I didn’t want to play at an upper weight level. I didn’t want to play with bigger kids. It didn’t feel right. I just didn’t have the desire to play. I was more focused on baseball.”
Fors eventually joined the Barrington football program after discussing the possibility with his parents.
“I had a couple of friends who reached out to me to play, and I knew the team was doing good, so I joined,” he said. “It was a big decision for me. I even quit baseball my freshman year. I focused all of my time on football.”
As a freshman, Fors played on the defensive line on the junior varsity team. He learned it was much different from flag football.
“It was a hard adjustment for me, getting out there and being physical and going from not hitting guys to hitting guys all the time,” he said. “It took me some time to flip that switch, to go out there with a warrior mentality.”
But Fors’ size, strength and athleticism stood out immediately.
“Owen is the strongest dude I have ever met,” Barrington senior center Ben Knuth said
Barrington coach Joe Sanchez said Fors “passed the eyeball test.”
“Where he stood out immediately was in the weight room,” Sanchez said. “He was already a good-sized kid, but when we saw him in the weight room, we saw how strong and powerful he was. He also moved well. So we knew this kid had a chance to be really special.”
Fors moved to the offensive line for his sophomore season and quickly made an impact for the Broncos, who went 12-1, winning the Mid-Suburban West and reaching the Class 8A state semifinals. Last year, he was an 8A all-state first-team pick.
“Going up against him makes me better,” Knuth said. “He’s always pushing everyone and holds them accountable. He also hates to lose. It doesn’t matter if it’s chess or the state championship game, we are always competing to beat each other.”
Barrington senior quarterback Luke Tepas, a first-year varsity starter, said he was “a little bit nervous” before this season but Fors has made it easier.
“I know that my backside is always protected,” Tepas said. “Owen will put his heart and soul into protecting me and everyone out there on the field. He’s also one of the loudest guys on the field, which you don’t see from many O-linemen.
“There were multiple times where he would get us all together during a practice and encourage us to do that much better during a segment and to finish off strong.”
Tepas said that’s typical of Fors, a two-way lineman this season who helped the Broncos (4-1, 1-0) rack up 275 rushing yards in a 42-21 win over Palatine on Saturday.
“Owen has always been a team-first guy,” Tepas said. “He always encourages guys to do more and is always bringing us together. Whether getting together after games, watching film or huddling up during the middle of a practice day to give us some encouragement and get us going, Owen wants the best for everyone on the team.”
Sanchez said Fors, whose uncle Jim Wagner played linebacker for Buffalo Grove’s 1986 Class 6A state championship team and UCLA, is simply a great leader.
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“We’ve had some Division I linemen, but beyond his physical ability and strength, Owen has been impressive as a leader,” Sanchez said. “He’s been instrumental in our strong start. He’s become the leader of the offensive line and one of the leaders of our team.
“Owen has become more vocal this year. When Owen talks, people listen. He does an unbelievable job setting the tone in everything we do.”
Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter.