Most senior athletes find themselves reaping the benefits of developing their skills in the same position over the past four years. Senior Brock Schwarz, however, has spent the beginning of his senior year learning a brand new position.
“I started as a fullback,” Schwarz said. “I play offensive guard now, where I get to hit people over and over again.”
After making this position change, Schwarz is having to adjust to major differences between the two positions.
“I used to run a whole lot and didn’t have to worry about guarding a certain guy. Now I have to worry about hitting the right guy along with timing and everything,” Schwarz said. “I also don’t get the ball anymore.”
Schwarz’s position change wasn’t just out of the blue, though. One reason he changed his position was because of an injury that happened in the previous season that restricted him from catching and throwing a ball well.
“It was during a football game. I was playing defense and grabbed a guy’s jersey,” Schwarz said. “I stood up and opened my hands and tried to close them. One of my fingers didn’t open all the way. I tore my tendon and had surgery on it, and now it’s kind of stuck in a trigger finger position.”
Another reason for the position change was due to the large number of unfilled positions from the previous year’s senior starters.
“We really needed a guard after all of our seniors left last year. So I decided to step up and move down to the line, and it’s really benefited the team,” Schwarz said.
Head coach Dan Krajicek agrees that this change has helped out the team substantially.
“He’s really done a really good job and filled a really big hole that we needed,” Krajicek said. “Instead of being in a rotation at running back for offense, he’s on the field every play.”
Schwarz’s position change has also given the team more talent in a bigger variety of positions.
“It’s definitely given us a more broad range of talent. I guess having somebody with Brock’s skill level down at other positions is definitely helpful,” senior Jason Neukirch said.
While he’s still adjusting to the position change, Schwarz makes sure to put in the work before and during practices to further benefit this year’s season.
“Before practice, we go over our steps for different plays. During practice, we work on staying low, using explosiveness and practicing the plays,” Schwarz said.
Even though changing a position is hard, Krajicek notes that overall, Schwarz has done well with this position change.
“He’s really stepped up and done a really good job. Learning a new position in one year is tough, but he pays really good attention,” Krajicek said. “It just made him a better all around football player.”
