Staying humble is no problem for Wauconda power running back Brad Wisniewski.
The 6-foot-2-inch, 230-pound senior has fresh memories of the Bulldogs’ 31-game losing streak that was snapped two years ago at the end of his sophomore season.
“Guys on the team would go around saying: ‘Don’t tell anyone I play for Wauconda,'” said Wisniewski as the 4-0 Bulldogs prepared for their Friday night North Suburban Prairie showdown with Grant (4-0). “Back then, no one really cared about football. If you missed a practice, so what? `I’ll just go tomorrow.’ It was pretty frustrating.”
Gradually, the football smarts and perseverance of coach Glen Kozlowski, a former Bears receiver, made believers out of Wauconda’s players. Borrowing concepts and attitudes from his ex-coach Mike Ditka along with motivational talks from ex-teammates Mike Singletary, Dan Hampton and Richard Dent, Kozlowski made quite an impact.
“That showed us how much Coach Koz cared about us,” said Wisniewski, who has rushed for 709 yards and 11 touchdowns despite being the focus of every opponent’s game plan. “Half our team had perfect attendance in our summer weightlifting workouts.
“We have way more pride now that we’re not some blowoff team. We’re not getting picked for homecoming games anymore. My sophomore year, it seemed like we were somebody’s homecoming game every other week.”
Kozlowski watched Wisniewski’s class go 7-2 on the freshman level and started seven sophomores and a freshman on varsity the following season. Receiver Jimmy Williams, tight end Davis Mills and offensive linemen Brett Collier and Jake Kovac have sparked a winning tradition for a perennial losing program. The Bulldogs are a combined 10-2 on the varsity, sophomore and freshman levels.
“The whole community is getting into it, and you see ‘Go Bulldogs’ signs in restaurants and stores,” Wisniewski said. “Walking around school, anyone on the football team is a celebrity — even if you never play.
“With the extra bleachers on each side of our field, Friday night will be the most people to ever see a Wauconda football game. We’re going to be fired up.”
Wisniewski warmed up for Grant by rushing for a season-high 233 yards on 35 carries and scoring three touchdowns in last week’s 41-20 victory over Antioch. He runs behind 5-11, 245-pound fullback Jamey Carey, and when defenses stack nine men in the box, the passing game opens up for quarterback Garrett Dorsey.
As a sophomore, Wisniewski ran for 984 yards; as a junior, he ran for 1,735 and 20 TDs.
“People told me you can’t win at Wauconda,” said Kozlowski, who’s in his sixth year and whose campaign to build up the local youth-football feeder program has increased participation from 120 to 440 youngsters. “For a few years there, I was the biggest moron in the world. But I never stopped believing it could be done.”
Certainly, Wisniewski has helped make it happen.
Quite a turnaround
Wauconda hasn’t had a winning football season since 1998, but behind former Bears receiver Glen Kozlowski — who took over as head coach in 2002 — the Bulldogs appear poised to break that streak. Their recent records:
%% YR REC
1994 1-8
1995 3-6
1996 1-8
1997 1-8
1998 7-3
1999 4-5
2000 1-8
2001 2-7
2002 0-9
2003 0-9
2004 1-9
2005 3-6
2006 4-5
2007 4-0 %%
