Over the past two seasons, Jacobs’ Luke Gormsen didn’t have to look too far for a role model.
Paulie Rudolph, who graduated and is off to Wisconsin-Platteville to continue his career, was the unquestioned leader of the Golden Eagles both on and off the field.
In Rudolph, Gormsen found a sort of kindred spirit.
“We had a great relationship,” Gormsen said. “We always talked. We had kind of similar mindsets, saw the game in a similar way. I would say that he was kind of a mentor to me from a football aspect as far as how to look at a game, how to take in a game and watch film and all of that.
“I kind of took it upon myself to be that kind of leader and be like that for others.”
It’s a tradition that started a few seasons ago with Ryan Golnick, continued with Rudolph and will now continue with 5-foot-11, 180-pound senior safety Gormsen for the Golden Eagles, who slot in at No. 8 in The Beacon-News/Courier-News preseason rankings.
Much like Golnick and Rudolph, it will be Gormsen who hosts the defense at his house to watch film Thursday nights. It’s a tradition Jacobs coach Brian Zimmerman loves to see develop as he continues to put his mark on the program.
“It’s good to see it carrying down,” Zimmerman said. “It’s great to have traditions like that.
“Seeing Luke, what he’s done as a leader, he’s involved in the school. He wants to go on and play at the next level. He’s a really intelligent kid. He’s looking forward to a really big year.”
Gormsen brings it on the field too, projecting to be one of the Golden Eagles’ most dynamic defensive players. Adding 10 to 15 pounds of muscle, he has the ability to play outside linebacker.
His future college destination may be in the secondary, however, which also suits his skill set well.
“I just look at myself as doing whatever I can to help the team win,” Gormsen said. “Whether that’s playing safety, playing outside linebacker, just whatever I can do to help the team win.”
Zimmerman said Gormsen’s work during the indoor track season before baseball season started has helped him unlock some of his potential in the secondary.
“He’s got real fluid hips,” Zimmerman said. “We’re really excited to see what he can do because he knows all of the positions, which is great for us. We can put him anywhere.
“We’re excited to see what he can do this year.”
Among the other things Gormsen said he learned from Rudolph is how to be more confident.
“When I was younger, it was more trying not to mess up,” Gormsen said. “Paulie helped me out with that. Now, I’m older and I’ve developed to where it’s just trusting myself to make a play.”
One of the guys playing in front of Gormsen is senior PJ Barnes, who is expected to line up at defensive end while trying to fill the shoes at tight end of Grant Stec, now at Wisconsin.
Barnes has been impressed with the work Gormsen put in to prepare for this season.
“It pushes everybody to step up and be a role model, especially us seniors now that Paulie is gone,” Barnes said. “He was a big factor last year for our defense. With Luke, he’s a very good fit for Paulie. He’s very vocal. I feel like that’s really good for us. They’re both very intelligent, very high IQ when it comes to the game.
“It’s really good to have somebody like that even with Paulie gone. We have somebody to lean on when we don’t know what to do.”
Gormsen hopes that leads to success on the field. After first-round playoff exits the past two seasons, Jacobs is ready to take the next step.
“I like where we’re at,” Gormsen said. “I would say it’s just always trying to get better each day. Our standard is to win.”
Team: Jacobs.
2023 record: 6-4.
Offensive leaders: PJ Barnes, senior, tight end; Tyvon Boddie, senior, running back; Caden DuMelle, junior, running back; Matthew Scardina, senior, running back.
Defensive leaders: Justin Gonzalez, junior, defensive back; Luke Gormsen, senior, outside linebacker/safety; Owen Hoffman, senior, cornerback; Andrii Tymoshchuk, senior, defensive end.
X-factor: Connor Goehring, junior, quarterback.
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
