Griffith: Falling for football

Updated: August 18, 2011 5:58PM

A six-week trip to Poland over the summer was a liberating experience for Maciek Szczepkowski.

Now, he’s ready to hit it hard.

“It was awesome,” Szczepkowski (pronounced chek-KOFF-ski) said of his visit back to Warsaw. “I traveled all over.”

Naturally, when Szczepkowski arrived in Griffith six years ago, he was a soccer player.

That all changed rather quickly.

During his eighth-grade year, over his father’s protests, he went out for football, playing tight end. Soccer has completely faded out of the picture since. His parents moved from Warsaw in the midst of a recession in 2005. They chose Griffith because they already had family in the area. His father warmed up to the sport when he watched Maciek excel.

“Once you start playing football in Griffith, there is no way out,” he said. “I decided to stick with it.”

Szczepkowski loves the game. Loves the physicality. Loves the work ethic it has instilled in him. Loves being a Panther. Loves living in Griffith.

Loves it so much that he is the anchor of Griffith’s line. He is also the rock of the team. Russ Radtke calls him a three-way player because he shuffles in and out at offensive line and kicks field goals.

“He is strong and fast,” Radtke said.

Radtke’s biggest concern this year is going to be how well the defense, which returns seven starters, some of them part-time, jells.

He’ll have to rely on Szczepkowski on the line.

“He’s a senior,” he said. “He has played a lot. He’s tough.”

Szczepkowski, at 6-3, 231 pounds, is one of the strongest players on team. He bench-presses 360 pounds, deadlifts 575 and did a tri-lift of 1,200 (bench, squat and deadlift).

In the spring, he throws the shot and discus for the Panthers track team.

Szczepkowski was so worried about how traveling to Poland would affect his summer conditioning that he asked Radtke for his blessing before he left. That is how invested he is in the game now.

Radtke told him to go.

It was the first time in five years that Szczepkowski had been back to Poland.

When he arrived in Griffith, he barely spoke a word of English. Now, aside from a slight accent, his English is perfect.

He plans on majoring in computer science in college.

“I am really excited so far,” he said. “We have some good numbers and a good team. We have some big players. I think we have a lot of potential with the guys we have coming back.”

Coach

Russ Radtke

Record

At school: 166-59 (19th year)

Overall: 285-113 (35th year)

Last Season

Lost 53-14 to Hobart in sectional opener

Key returnees

DL/OL Maciek Szczepkowski

QB Austin Brown

OL Josh Bodnar

Key losses

QB Calvin Bonewits

DE Gilbert Eatman

DE Chris Melton

College Prospects

LB Nathan McNeill

DB Troy Yarnelle

Season outlook

Austin Brown shifts into the quarterback position after Calvin Bonewits, who rushed for 1,054 yards last year, graduated. Brown, a junior, has limited experience at the position after playing tight end and halfback for the Panthers last year.

On the line, Josh Bonar and Zach Grin are very good. Overall, the Panthers have four linemen back from last year. Radtke said he is most concerned with how the defensive comes together. Gilbert Eatman and Chris Melton, their ends, were the anchors last year. Both graduated.

This is a typical Griffith team. Radtke said he won’t go super conservative on offense now that his son, Bo Radtke, is no longer the offensive coordinator. Bo opened up the Panthers offense over the years. Joey Golub, a tight end who didn’t catch a pass last year, has looked impressive early. Brett Brinkley (12 rushes for 222 yards) is the leading returning rusher.

Postseason

Class 4A Sectional 9 (Roosevelt, East Chicago, Hammond, Highland, Clark, Hobart, West Side, Morton

Schedule

Aug. 19 Morton

Aug. 26 at New Prairie

Sep. 2 Hobart

Sept. 9 at Lowell

Sept. 16 Kankakee Valley

Sept. 23 Munster

Sept. 30 at Highland

Oct. 7 at Andrean

Oct. 14 East Chicago

HISTORY LESSON

Season Record

2001 10-3, 4-1

2002 9-4, 3-2

2003 4-8, 2-5

2004 9-3, 6-1

2005 13-1, 7-0

2006 12-1, 6-1

2007 9-4, 4-2

2008 8-5, 3-3

2009 6-5, 4-2

2010 6-4, 5-1

Sectional titles: 1981, 1984, 1990-92, 1994-95, 1997-98, 2001-02, 2005-08

Regional titles: 1991, 1994,
1997, 2005-06

Semistate titles: 1997

State titles: 1997

Roster

No. Name Ht. Wt. Yr. Pos.

1 Jordan Gonzalez 5-9 145 11 K/P

2 Ben Reitz 5-11 161 12 QB

4 Brett Brinkley 5-9 161 11 HB

5 Louie Martinez 5-3 125 10 HB

9 Austin Foster 6-1 165 12 DB

10 Kyle Buikema 6-1 161 10 QB

11 Paris Davenport 6-1 175 12 DB

13 Ryan Dunlap 5-7 171 10 HB

15 Austin Brown 6-1 195 11 QB

17 Nate Reitz 5-11 161 10 DB

20 Troy Yarnelle 5-11 171 12 DB

21 Dakota Broelmann 5-11 135 10 HB

22 Deshon Roberson 5-11 165 10 DB

23 Joey Rivera 5-9 175 11 DL

24 Julian Cartegena 5-9 141 11 DB

25 Carlton Valliant 5-11 161 12 DB

26 Connor McCabe 5-7 141 10 DB

27 Tyler Palinca 6-1 137 10 DB

28 Chance Edwards 5-9 165 10 LB

32 Preston Nelson 5-9 161 11 LB

33 Quincy Moore 5-9 171 12 DB

35 Tyler Yost 5-9 209 12 FB

36 Nathan McNeill 5-11 209 12 LB

51 Mike Delpino 5-9 175 10 DL

55 Ben Parish 6-5 225 11 DE

56 Ross Smith 6-1 201 10 OL

57 Andrew Figueroa 5-7 201 11 OL

58 Steven Marquez 5-7 155 11 OL

59 Robbie Szabo 6-1 191 12 OL

61 Justin Harris 6-1 235 11 DL

64 Zach Grin 6-3 215 11 OL

65 Tyler Pena 5-11 173 11 OL

66 Maciek Szczepkowski 6-3 231 12 DL

69 Todd Fenell 5-7 261 10 DL

70 Josh Bodnar 5-11 185 12 OL

72 Brandon Brummet 5-11 241 11 OL

74 Brandon White 6-3 231 10 OL

76 Christopher Benko 5-11 195 11 OL

77 Nick Brummet 6-1 179 11 OL

80 Robbie Megquier 6-3 171 12 TE

81 Angel Nunez 6-3 215 11 DL

82 Joey Golub 6-1 185 11 TE

84 Jay Hicks 6-3 231 11 TE

85 Cameron Kegebein 6-3 171 10 TE

86 Tyler Lipski 6-1 151 10 TE

88 Zach Stickley 6-5 161 10 TE

93 Luke Smith 5-9 153 10 TE

94 Jevon Bell 6-3 221 11 DE

© 2013 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be copied or distributed without permission. For more information about reprints and permissions, visit www.suntimesreprints.com. To order a reprint of this article, click here.