Jacek Blaszynski was a soccer player growing up, but his height and strength were not always positives in that sport.
As he got older, Blaszynski realized his size might make him better suited for the football field.
“In seventh grade, my cousin’s football team didn’t have enough guys,” Blaszynski said. “They asked me to come out. The first practice, I fell in love with the sport.
“In soccer, I’d always be the biggest kid and there was a disadvantage to it because I was slow. I still liked playing it, but football ended up being a better fit for me.”
Lemont quarterback Payton Salomon is sure glad Blaszynski made the switch.
As a senior center, the 6-foot-3, 285-pound Blaszynski — an Indiana State recruit — sets the tone up front for an offense averaging 46 points a game.
“Nothing goes without him,” Salomon said of Blaszynski. “He’s the leader of the O-line. Our linemen have been near perfect. It’s insane.
“They work their butts off all summer, all season. I’ve never seen more well-conditioned linemen.”
When Lemont (11-0) hosts Kenwood (8-3) at 5 p.m. Saturday in a Class 6A quarterfinal, Blaszynski will be doing what he loves most — opening up holes for his teammates.
“I just like being able to dominate people and not get in trouble for it,” Blaszynski said. “As a lineman, you get a chance to go one-on-one with someone for four quarters and just dominate them. It’s a lot of fun.”
Blaszynski played left tackle on the lower levels his first two years of high school but switched to center last season for his varsity debut.
He’s developed a strong relationship with Salomon.
“We always go to the field together,” Blaszynski said. “We throw together. We always hang out. We’ve developed a great friendship and great chemistry together with that.
“Having him at quarterback is just awesome. He makes quick reads. That takes a lot of stress off the line and makes blocking for him a lot easier.”
Blaszynski hopes his Lemont career will extend a few more weeks. Beyond that, he’s happy to have his future planned as he committed in August to Indiana State.
“I wanted to make my decision before the season so I could focus on Lemont football this year and not have to worry about anything else,” Blaszynski said. “I loved my visit to Indiana State and I’m glad I got that decision out of the way.
“Since I started playing in seventh grade, it’s been a dream to get to play in college. I’m excited that I’m going to get to do it.”
Game changer: When Crete-Monee senior Joshua Franklin decided to run out of his own end zone on a fake punt Saturday with the Warriors hanging on to a 19-12 lead over Simeon in the fourth quarter, it was certainly a risk.
But it was a calculated one.
“We knew these wind gusts were going to be something we haven’t experienced before,” Crete-Monee coach John Konecki said. “We made some changes in the kicking game.
“We told Josh if there’s an opportunity to go, you can go. He took off, and he has real elite-level speed.
Franklin, a Western Michigan recruit, dashed for a 95-yard touchdown and the Warriors (9-2) went on to win 35-12 in a Class 6A second-round game.
“He was 100% right,” Konecki said. “I went back and watched film and it was the exact look we discussed. It was a huge turning point for us.”
Celtic comeback: Saturday’s 24-14 win over rival Joliet Catholic in a Class 4A second-round game brought back memories for junior linebacker BJ Olson, who blocked a punt in the victory.
“I’m glad to see old Providence is coming back,” Olson said. “I used to come to these games when I was a kid, and they were some big dudes who hit hard. We’re starting to see that come back.”
Steve Millar is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.