Whoever hatched the idea that summer is best spent relaxing didn’t consult with student-athletes like Wauconda’s Jackson Rudolph.
His break between his sophomore and junior years has resembled a perpetual state of movement as he participated in football workouts locally and crisscrossed from state to state for baseball tournaments.
“It was one of the craziest summers I’ve had,” Rudolph said. “I’d go from driving five hours from a baseball tournament Sunday night to football the next morning at home. It could be a lot for other people, but it’s super fun for me.”
With official football practices beginning Monday, the 6-foot, 230-pound Rudolph turns his attention to that sport, and he’s slated to take on a headlining role as a fullback in Wauconda’s run-heavy offense.
That comes after Rudolph earned All-Northern Lake County Conference honors as a middle linebacker during his freshman and sophomore seasons, an unusual feat. He had 46 tackles with four for loss, a sack, an interception and a forced fumble last year.
But Rudolph also enters this season as the leading returning rusher for the Bulldogs (8-3, 6-1), who finished second behind Antioch in the NLCC and reached the second round of the Class 6A playoffs last year. Rudolph gained most of his 278 yards while workhorse Connor Vanselow, who graduated earlier this year, was sidelined for three games due to an injury.
Rudolph will lean on some of the guidance he received from Vanselow. They also played together on Wauconda’s baseball team, for which Rudolph hit .300 with 10 doubles, 27 RBIs and 23 runs scored as a sophomore.
“Connor taught me a lot, like always telling me that you can’t ever take a play off, no matter how comfortable you are,” Rudolph said. “For me personally, I’ll be more the guy this year, so it’s up to me to keep the running tradition going.”
Rudolph will bring a physical style to an offense that will also include carries for junior Cole Korycanek and senior Jacob Hawley.
“He’s a power back, an A-gap/B-gap type of kid who will be pounding the middle getting hard yards for us,” Wauconda coach Chris Prostka said of Rudolph. “He’s been getting after baseball pretty good, but you know he’s putting in the work for football too.”
Indeed, Rudolph can squat 455 pounds, which is the third-highest weight in program history, and his 275 pounds in the power clean also ranks as the third highest.
Rudolph squeezed in workouts during baseball tournaments, partnering with Joliet Catholic’s Lucas Simulick and St. Laurence’s Cory Les, who also play football.
“It’s fun because we’ll switch off doing each other’s workouts,” Rudolph said. “We’ll do sprints on the field after our games and work out at our hotels.”
Back at home, Rudolph can work out with his younger brother, Brody, a Wauconda sophomore who projects to start at linebacker this season.
“It’s awesome to be so close in age, and we always work out together in the basement and go on runs together,” Jackson Rudolph said. “He was a little more on the smaller side when we were younger, so being on the same team is great. I’ll never get tired of it.”
Their father, Shawn, is Wauconda’s baseball coach and is an assistant under Prostka, who said he has known the boys “since they were born.”
“Especially during games, I’ve gotten pretty good at turning off dad mode,” Shawn Rudolph said. “We watch a lot of film together and talk through things at home, but sometimes I have to ask whether I should give the coach answer or the dad answer.”
Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter.
