Owen Roberts may not do it all for Waubonsie Valley but he comes pretty darn close.
Roberts, a 6-foot, 180-pound senior, is starting for the second season at safety and expanded his role a few weeks in this years by taking regular snaps at wide receiver. He also returns punts.
That’s just one of four spots he holds on special teams for the Warriors, something that certainly catches the attention of senior quarterback Josh Siekierski.
“He’s an all-around player,” Siekierski said of Roberts. “He’s a Swiss Army knife, and you can put him anywhere. He’s got great ball skills and is a multisport athlete. He’s a freak.”
As in freaky good.
Roberts caught a team-high four passes from Siekierski for 67 yards and a touchdown of 10 yards as Waubonsie won 70-28 at Metea Valley in a Southwest Valley Conference crossover game.
Friday night’s win allows the Warriors (5-4) to retain possession of the Eola Bowl Trophy, at stake each year when the Aurora rivals meet. It also clinches their first playoff berth since 2018.
“These seniors were 12 years old, sixth grade, the last time it happened in 2018,” said first-year coach Adam Pucylowski, who moved over to Waubonsie from his defensive coordinator post at Naperville Central. “They worked really, really hard all offseason, all summer.
“I don’t necessarily think I’m the easiest person to work for. I’m demanding of our kids and my assistant coaches, but they’re awesome. They work and work.”
They did Friday night. Siekierski completed 10 of 13 passes for 129 yards and three TDs, engineering sustained drives on Waubonsie’s first two possessions.
The Warriors lost a fumble but then scored on six straight drives, fueled by a recovered fumble and three interceptions, allowing them to win the turnover battle in the first half 4-1.
Senior running back Chrisjan Simmons celebrated his birthday in style with 21 carries for 194 yards and three TDs while catching two passes for 30 yards and another TD.
Long pass completions from senior quarterback Jake MacLeod to Dylan Liner and Dominic Smith highlighted the night for Metea (1-8). Liner had TD receptions of 80 and 23 yards, along with another 75-yard catch. Smith had a 77-yard TD catch as MacLeod passed for 297 yards.
Waubonsie, however, showed off its winning ways as junior defensive tackle Leo Hobson, senior defensive back Joshua Hung and junior linebacker Nate Cerilli came up with interceptions.
“We’re not about deep shots,” Siekierski said. “We’re about moving the chains, keeping our offense consistent and winning with possession of the ball, moving the sticks.”
Football, meanwhile, isn’t even Roberts’ No. 1 sport. A week before football season started, last year’s DuPage Valley Conference Player and Pitcher of the Year in baseball committed to a scholarship offer from Indiana State.
Roberts, who was 10-0 with two saves and a 1.10 ERA, played shortstop when he didn’t pitch and hit .464 in being named the 2024 Beacon-News/Courier-News Baseball Player of the Year.
“Kid throws 92 mph,” Pucylowski said. “Then, defensively, he’s just been awesome as a safety, always making the right fits. He’s a great tackler, and we got to the point in our season we thought we had to jump start things and moved him to offense to see if he could give us a little jump.
“He’s been able to add to our offense, opened it up for other guys, too. He’s dynamic.”
Joined by senior Joshua Tinney and junior speedster Gavin Ali-Hanlon, Siekierski has three strong targets as starters.
“Ali-Hanlon has the wheels,” Siekierski said. “Owen catches everything, and Tinney’s a go-up-and-get-it kind of guy. It’s a lot of fun. And then, you’ve got Chrisjan out of the backfield, so if they’re all covered, Chrisjan’s taking it for 20 yards if I check it down to him.”
Despite his baseball prospects, Roberts didn’t think twice about completing his fourth year with the football program.
“I’m never gonna play football again in my life,” he said. “So senior year was too big of an experience to give up. It’s a blast.
“Being able to have the coaches use me in all aspects of a game, I feel really respected being put in all these positions.”
