Lemont’s Nathan Kunickis is like a Swiss Army knife.
The 6-foot-3, 205-pound junior can do — and has done — just about everything this season on the football field.
“I play quarterback, running back and H (back),” he said when asked to recite the positions he has played. “I’ve played a little bit of Y, which is wide receiver.
“I play defensive end and outside linebacker. I play a little money — middle safety — here and there. I can also snap and kick as well.”
What Kunickis didn’t mention was that he also plays on the line on special teams, and his blocked punt Saturday night ended up being a huge icebreaker.
It helped host Lemont knock Kenwood out of the playoffs with a 14-0 victory in the Class 6A state quarterfinals.
In a game that featured light snow, senior running back Nate Wrublik finished with 29 carries for 144 yards and two touchdowns against Kenwood’s stingy defense.
Still, Lemont was having a hard time moving the ball on Kenwood, the last Chicago Public League team standing. But toward the end of the first quarter, Kunickis blocked a punt and North Dakota State recruit Noah Taylor recovered it at the Broncos’ 23.
That set up Wrublik’s first TD.
“I knew once I got in my four-point (stance) that I was coming,” Kunickis said of the block. “Once I got through, it was gold.
“It was a great play by Noah to pick up the ball and keep moving with it, and then it was great for our offensive captain to get the touchdown.”
The win keeps the team at home as Lemont (12-0) plays at 2 p.m. Saturday against East St. Louis (10-2), which won 42-21 over Lemont in last year’s quarterfinals.
Kunickis also had a hand in a game-changing play during the second round of the playoffs. Lemont led 17-10 at Quincy when Kunickis deflected a pass into the hands of a teammate.
Roberto Patino returned the interception 25 yards for a TD.
“He’s a very athletic individual,” Patino said of Kunickis. “He’s very special. He’s someone who you should look out for next year. He can play any position. You tell him to do it and he gives you his all.”
Kunickis, whose brother, Albert, is a running back at Northwestern, could be next year’s quarterback. On the sophomore team last year, Nathan completed 54 of 65 passes for 1,014 yards and 15 TDs while rushing 66 times for 823 yards and 12 TDs.
Kunickis, who attended football camps at Harvard, Yale and Penn in the summer, is the backup quarterback this season to Payton Salomon.
“I like playing everywhere, but primarily, I like playing quarterback,” Kunickis said. “But we have a great guy ahead of me, and he’s been balling out all season.
“Next year, I want to come out and work as a quarterback. But this year, I’m playing my role on both sides of the ball where the coaches need me. I’ll be filling shoes and playing my butt off.”
Retiring Lemont coach Bret Kooi is happy with Kunickis’ versatility.
“He’s our utility man, no doubt,” Kooi said. “He just fits that slot. Anywhere where you are a little bit thin, he’s the next guy up there. It’s a little amazing how he retains things with all of that.”
So, who does Kunickis practice with?
“Some days are a little awkward,” he said. “As we’re into the playoffs, I’m primarily on defense and I’m being used more there. I’ll move back and forth — wherever they need me.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.