What’s new with Aurora Central Catholic football?
The better question could be, what isn’t?
Well, Walker Szweistis, for one.
Szweistis, a two-way starter at safety and wide receiver, is preparing for his fourth season with the program under his third head coach.
Four classmates — tight end Zach Stuck, wide receiver/linebacker Jake Bianchi and running back/cornerback/long snapper Ethan Waters — have shared the same experience.
Throw in the pandemic that delayed and shortened one season to six games, compressing two seasons into a span of eight months, and Szweistis could be the poster child for the phrase “adapt and persevere.”
That’s the mantra for many small school programs these days.
ACC, with a roster of approximately 20 players, is among them.
It’s the challenge facing coach Christian Rago, who was named in June after being hired as an assistant dean and instructor for new advanced fitness classes in the school’s revamped fitness center.
Rago will report to athletic director Scott Fitzgerald, who officially came on board July 1.
“I was hoping that last season’s coach would be back and I’d have the same coach in consecutive seasons,” Szweistis said of John Belskis. “I’m just not lucky, I guess.”
Or maybe he is.
Life lessons that challenge and test us are among the most valuable.
“I like the smaller team that’s more family oriented,” Szweistis said. “We all know each other and get plenty of playing time, which is nice.
“We haven’t had the best record, but I feel we’ve done the best we can given our numbers.”
Belskis coached for 24 years at Downers Grove South, where his teams made the playoffs 22 times. Due to district policy, however, he had to step down as coach when he retired from teaching.
He then coached ACC from 2015 to 2017 and Minooka from 2018 to 2020 before returning last fall to the Chargers. He planned to stay longer to build the program.
Family considerations, though, led to a move out of state.
“I feel like he really opened our eyes,” Szweistis said of Belskis. “He’s a Hall of Fame coach in Illinois. He showed us what it’s all about, and not just football. Stuff beyond that, like how you treat others.”
Enter Rago, a Woodstock native who played football from 2010 to 2014 at Aurora University before beginning a coaching career that has included several stops at the college and high school levels.
Rago spent the last three years at St. Patrick in Chicago, where he was the offensive coordinator.
His wife, Jenee (Lange), was hired last year at AU from her position at Loyola to be the head strength and conditioning coach. She was a soccer standout from 2010 to 2014 at AU.
They moved to Sugar Grove, with Christian commuting last year to St. Patrick.
He interviewed at ACC, intending to be closer to home and hoping to join Belskis’ staff.
“I definitely wanted to be a head coach,” Rago said. “I didn’t have a time stamp on it. I was just trying to enjoy where I was and learn as much as I could.
“Things change, and luckily, I ended up being the guy. That’s how life works sometimes.”
And so far, so good, according to Szweistis.
“Team chemistry continues to be up and coach Rago is doing well,” Szweistis said. “We’re keeping the defense the same as last year and the offense has changed a little bit.”
That suits Szweistis just fine. He prefers defense and hopes to play in the secondary in college.
“I’m more of a defensive player,” he said. “But playing both ways really opens your eyes, especially since I’m guarding guys who are doing the same things I’m doing when I play offense.”
ACC, with an enrollment of 525, starts the season with an ambitious opener at Wauconda, which has 1,371 students and went 10-1 last season in reaching the second round of the Class 6A playoffs.
“We have to take on all comers,” Rago said. “We thought we had a program in Wisconsin lined up, but they got a new AD and double-booked.
“I’m just happy we have a game in Week 1. It could have worked out where we didn’t.”
The challenge awaits.
Team: Aurora Central Catholic.
2021 record: 3-6.
Offensive leaders: Josh Dudziak, junior, offensive lineman; Kevin Stanislo, junior, quarterback; Zach Stuck, senior, linebacker.
Defensive leaders: Jake Bianchi, senior, linebacker; Zack Dineen, junior, defensive lineman; Walker Szweistis, senior, safety.
X-factor: Ethan Waters, senior, running back/cornerback/long snapper.
