It would be an understatement to say that Lincoln-Way West sophomore Davey Koszulinski stays pretty busy. He plays football, basketball and baseball for the Warriors.
At times, it gets a little overwhelming.
“It can get tough,” he said. “I enjoy it, though. I don’t know where I would be without sports.”
It would be interesting to see where Lincoln-Way West would be in football without Koszulinski.
He started out at receiver but is filling in at quarterback while senior Jacob Howard mends from an injury suffered in the season opener. And he has picked up some great on-the-job training.
Koszulinski completed 6 of 8 passes for 159 yards and two touchdowns Friday night to help the host Warriors roll to a 31-6 SouthWest Suburban Conference win over Andrew in New Lenox.
Braydon McNulty caught four passes including a 62-yard TD, and Jaden Smith added a pair of catches highlighted by a 24-yard grab in the end zone while fighting off an Andrew defender.
Sophomore running back Israel Ward scored two TDs. Junior defensive back Nick Elstner recovered two fumbles in the first quarter that featured a takeaway on the first play of the game.
“The first one was pretty crazy — it being the first play,” Elstner said. “We’re coming out hot, and you see the ball on the ground and you go for it. It gave us momentum right away.”
Andrew (1-2, 0-1) scored on a 16-play drive that started in the third quarter and ended in the fourth as Jimmy Reilly hit Ian Lopez for a 17-yard TD. All six of Reilly’s completions went to Lopez for 76 yards.
Although Lincoln-West West coach Luke Lokanc is hoping Howard can return soon, he’s also happy that Koszulinski has filled in and led the Warriors to a pair of victories.
“Davey is a receiver and we have two good sophomore quarterbacks,” Lokanc said. “Davey is the guy right now, and he’s filling in great. He’s just a competitor. He’s a football player.
“Put him at any position. Any position. And he will be fine.”
Elstner, who also took a few snaps at running back, has been impressed by Koszulinski.
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“Davey is stepping up,” Elstner said. “He’s making big plays, and it’s really great to see. He has a good deep ball. He communicates. He’s a great guy in general.”
Lincoln-Way West’s defense has been sharp to start the season as well, allowing just 13 points in the first three games. That included a 35-0 shutout over Peoria on Aug. 28. The last time Peoria was shut out was Sept. 2, 2012 by Simeon.
Elstner is the only returning starter on defense.
“They really want to learn,” Lokanc said. “They are learning and growing and want to progress to being a great defense, and they are doing a great job right now.”
Koszulinski completed 10 of 14 passes for 222 yards and four TDs in his debut against Peoria.
“I was nervous going into that game,” he said. “But after the first snap, I was good.”
In both of his starts, he credited the receivers for making big plays.
“I think they are all awesome guys and the play really well,” Koszulinski said. “I trust them all.”
Switching from receiver to QB, meanwhile, took some adjusting.
“The mental part of the game is harder,” he said. “You need to know how to make the reads and you have to know pretty much everything that’s going on. You have the assignments and all that.”
Still, Koszulinski confirmed he enjoys football a little more than the other two sports.
“I just like stepping on the field and going to war with your teammates,” Koczulinski said. “It’s really exciting.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.