Keep an eye on Marmion’s Mateusz Nycz. It shouldn’t be hard.
The senior tight end/outside linebacker has always been big for his age but keeps growing. It prompted a position change this year under a new coach, changing Nycz’s outlook on the game.
An offensive lineman since he started playing football at age 5, Nycz will get his chance to handle the ball by running after the catch as well as continuing to block and tackle.
Nycz will be making these moves for Adam Guerra, named this spring to succeed coach Dan Thorpe, who retired after leading the program for 19 seasons. Last fall, Nycz checked in for the Cadets at 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds, playing full time at center and sparingly at defensive end.
“I know I’m gonna do well and I’m so excited I can’t even put it in words,” said Nycz, who enters the season at 6-5 and 245 pounds. “I’m ready to go out and hit somebody.
“I was always an offensive lineman growing up. I was always giant for my age, even at 5.”
Mateusz Nycz — whose name is pronounced muh-tay-oosh kneesh — has passed his father. His dad Andrzej (pronounced on-jay) moved to the area from his native Poland at age 20 and is 5-11.
Mateusz’s mother Kelly is 5-10 and her father and an uncle are both 6-11, so the youngster may not be done growing yet.
“His height, size, athleticism and football smarts are the reasons,” Guerra said of the position changes for Nycz, who also wrestles at Marmion and qualified for state at heavyweight last winter.
Guerra, who started his coaching career in his native California, has been a Catholic educator his entire career and returns to coaching in high school after a two-year layoff.
A head coach for 12 of his 19 years, Guerra came to Chicago in 2017 and coached St. Patrick for five seasons. He led Shamrocks to the quarterfinals of the Class 5A playoffs in 2021.
Marmion lost starting linebacker Gavin Burt, who decided to play his final season for his hometown school of Geneva, but picked up a starting quarterback from West Aurora in senior Kamron Tolliver.
Vinnie Testa, a junior who led the sophomore team at quarterback last year, will start at linebacker and freshman quarterback Roy Magana Jr. is getting reps with both sophomore and varsity teams.
Senior wide receivers Bryan Scales and Jack Young will join Nycz as Tolliver’s top targets for the Cadets, who also utilized four running backs in a Week 0 scrimmage with Benet.
“In California, we always had that scrimmage,” Guerra said. “I grew up doing it. I was comfortable with it and it was a good experience for both teams.”
Nycz said the players endorsed it.
“I think it’s like a good opportunity to knock off the cobwebs and get used to the swing of things, like making the first big hit against someone who isn’t your teammate,” Nycz said.
“We have some tough games on the schedule and it will be good to get off to a fast start, especially with three home games at the start.”
The Cadets open with Oak Forest, Noble and St. Viator.
Nycz, who is from St. Charles, said he came to Marmion because of its engineering program. A student with a 3.93 GPA, he plans to make that his major in college, too.
He received his first Division I offer this summer from Dayton, which came from offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Greg Whalen, a Marian Central Catholic graduate who was a four-year starter at tackle at North Central College before starting his coaching career with stops at his alma mater and Aurora University.
“I’ll play where the coaches think I fit in well,” Nycz said. “Whatever the team needs.”
Last spring, Nycz began doing what he termed “catching workouts,” catching tennis balls he bounced off a wall to improve his hand-eye coordination.
“That’s probably the biggest difference between tight end and offensive lineman,” he said. “Scoring a touchdown is going to be exciting. Sacking the quarterback may be the closest thing to it on defense.”
He hopes to play both ways this season.
“It’s something I have to get used to but I definitely can do it,” Nycz said.
