It wasn’t even a blip on their radars.
Starting high school at Oswego East during the pandemic, Tim Savchuk and Zac Clarke both had an interest in football. Playing in college, however, was not at the top of their list.
Especially after that freshman season in the fall of 2020 was pushed back to the spring and then shortened to only six games.
But look at them now.
The senior duo provides a pair of formidable bookend tackles in anchoring the offensive line for the Wolves, who are No. 6 in the Beacon-News/Courier-News preseason rankings.
“All this was really unexpected,” said Savchuk, about to embark on just his third full season.
The 6-foot-4, 285-pound Savchuk, who plays right tackle, started the first game of his freshman season but broke his hand to end it. On June 19, he committed to play at Army.
Six days later, Savchuk’s workout partner announced his commitment to Western Michigan. The 6-6, 270-pound Clarke is the left tackle for the Wolves, who are seeking an eighth straight playoff appearance.
“The recruiting was crazy,” said Clarke, who had 17 offers. “I didn’t even know I wanted to play college football until the end of last season. I had sent out some film but didn’t get too many answers.”
Clarke also is a relative newcomer to the offensive line. His first two years for the Wolves, he focused on defensive end and played some O-line to appease the coaches.
His growth led Oswego East coach Tyson LeBlanc to provide some counsel.
Clarke came into high school at 6-0 but grew four inches his freshman year and has added two inches since.
LeBlanc told him he could have a good career on defense at an NCAA Division III school, but his ceiling would be much higher on the other side of the line.
It proved true for Clarke, who played last season at 235 pounds.
“It was a pretty big change,” Clarke said. “The toughest part was getting the footwork down — the initial three steps. Learning technique definitely helps. Honestly, last year I was pretty average.”
He credits offseason work with Savchuk for his improvement.
“They were two of the strongest guys on the team, so they always got paired together when we were doing workouts,” Leblanc said. “Savchuk has always been a kid who liked the weight room.
“He was a basketball player, too. But you see basketball kids like him, big square-shouldered dudes, and you’re like, ‘You’re probably not going to be a basketball kid much longer.'”
Savchuk indeed wasn’t, moving up to varsity for football as a sophomore.
“Because of our depth at that point, we got him right into the action,” LeBlanc said. “He was raw and worked through it.”
This past offseason, Savchuk and Clarke teamed up together again in the gym and weight room.
“We went crazy in the gym,” Clarke said. “Doing offensive line work and working on change of direction and acceleration stuff.”
Joining them on the O-line will be senior center Will Chen and guard Timothy Zywicki, both starters last sason. Senior Marco Bellanca, who started several games as a sophomore, is back from injury at the other guard.
Another key cog will be senior tight end Aiden Moriarty, who is committed to Southern Illinois.
With Tre Jones, a two-year starter at quarterback, having graduated and now playing for Navy, the Wolves’ ground game could be even more important early in the season.
Senior Armon Holmes and sophomore Niko Villacci have been working at quarterback for Oswego East, which has just one playoff win in its run of seven straight playoff appearances.
“Being in the playoffs is an expectation, but we’re ready to do more,” LeBlanc said. “Our schedule and conference are tough. We have to find a way to not be 6-3 or 5-4 going in so we can get a better seed.”
Quick Facts
Team: Oswego East.
2022 record: 5-5.
Offensive leaders: Will Chen, senior, center; Aiden Moriarty, senior, tight end; Jasiah Watson, sophomore, running back; Timothy Zywicki, senior, guard;
Defensive leaders: Manny Howard, senior, linebacker; Jerome Jackson, senior, defensive line; Dawson McCullum, senior, defensive line; Andrew Wiggins, senior, linebacker.
X-factor: Christian Martyn, senior, linebacker.
