Look at him now.
Stefan Popov may have gotten a late start in football, but he’s definitely made up for lost time.
The hard-to-miss Popov, a 6-foot-3, 240-pound senior, starts both ways as a lineman for a resurgent Waubonsie Valley under the direction of first-year coach Adam Pucylowski.
“It’s one of my biggest regrets,” Popov said of not starting the sport until his freshman year.
But now, Popov plays defensive tackle and also protects the blind side of quarterback Josh Siekierski at left tackle for the Warriors (4-3).
Popov impressed coaches enough to earn a promotion to the varsity as a sophomore. Filling out to 268 pounds, he played on the offensive line with older brother Michael, a senior then who’s now a 6-5, 300-pound redshirt freshman guard at Miami of Ohio.
“My brother played football when he was in second grade but I only started freshman year,” said Stefan, whose parents emigrated to the United States from Macedonia. “They knew about soccer and basketball.
“My brother was playing basketball and a teammate who also played football for the Naperville Patriots told him, ‘We need you.’ I just was never interested. Football was never a thought.”
At least not until later. Now, it consumes him.
“Sophomore year was our 0-9 season, which was pretty sad,” Stefan said. “It just hurts. You feel for those guys, especially those seniors.”
The Warriors, with Popov playing at 275 as a junior, improved to 4-5 last season.
This year, following the merger of the DuPage Valley Conference with the SouthWest Suburban Conference, Waubonsie is in the Southwest Valley Green.
The Warriors, who are 2-1 in conference, enter the final two weeks of the regular season needing at least one more win to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2018.
On Friday they play host to conference leader Lincoln-Way Central (4-3, 3-0) and close the following week with a crossover at neighborhood rival Metea Valley (1-6).
“It would be very special,” Popov said. “It would have been super easy to transfer, but I made a promise. I’ve played with some of these guys forever and figured it was time to step up and tried to get everyone in the weight room, trying to get the team better overall.”
He prefers defense to offense and felt he needed to lose weight to improve.
“I was a little too big for myself, so I dropped to 240,” Popov said. “I’m faster, quicker I’d say. I feel that I move pretty well for 240.”
The extra baggage might help on offense, but overall, he feels the trade-off has been worth it.
Pucylowski, the former defensive coordinator at Naperville Central, remembers scouting Popov and the Warriors and took note.
“He’s transformed himself, and that’s Stefan doing that,” Pucylowski said. “He’s worked his absolute tail off, and it’s great to see his leadership start to emerge. He’s in better shape.
“You look at him, he looks like an Adonis now. When I was scouting him last year, he was a little bit on the heavier side. He’s been wonderful to have on the team. The kids really look up to him.”
Waubonsie Valley’s Stefan Popov (77) tackles Oswego East’s Jasiah Watson during a nonconference game in Aurora on Friday, Aug. 25, 2023. (Jon Cunningham / The Beacon-News)
His numbers don’t lie.
Popov has 22 tackles with four for loss, 2 1/2 sacks and six hurries.
Last week, he had a key stop on a 2-point conversion attempt that kept DeKalb’s comeback bid at bay and also teamed with a teammate on a key sack.
“What gets missed is the number of times Stefan takes on double teams so that others on the team are able to make plays,” Pucylowski said. “Playing on the defensive line and offensive line is a selfless job, and he’s done a great job at it this year.”
Hopefully, there’s more to come.
