Kremer: Jaws Aims to Put Bite Back in JCA Football Defense

On the climb to the top of his profession, Joliet Catholic Academy’s Jake Jaworski has on occasion made like a spinning top.

He has come full circle from his playing days to his new coaching duties.

Jaworski, 29, takes over as JCA’s football defensive coordinator this fall as The Hill looks to revamp its ‘D’ following an 8-5 season that ended with a 40-37 loss to Montini in the Class 5A semifinals.

Jaworski was JCA’s starting safety and the quarterback of the defensive unit when the Hilltoppers topped Morris and won the Class 5A state championship in 2001. He went on to major in kinesiology at the University of Illinois and also picked up a minor in education.

He returned to JCA as a teacher (P.E. and health) and coach nine years ago. He worked his pitching coach magic during the Hilltoppers’ run to the Class 3A state baseball championship last spring.

And, now, after spending four seasons coaching the varsity backs on the offensive side of the ball during the football season, he is returning to his roots. He is looking to put the bite of Jaws—as he affectionately is known around the hallways of school—back in JCA’s defense.

Jaworski replaces Cory McLaughlin as The Hill’s defensive coordinator. McLaughlin will remain on the JCA staff as a defensive line coach and one of three old ‘D’ coordinators on the staff. He will serve as a consultant to the Hilltoppers’ superstar coach in the making, Jaws.

Jaworski likely will be wearing the hat of a head coach and calling all the shots some day soon, if not at his alma mater than somewhere else down the road. For now, this is the next logical step is his climb up the coaching ladder. He already has started to put a new stamp on an old brand of JCA defensive football.

“The most important thing is trying to get our defense to play fast and play with a lot of confidence,” Jaworski said. “In the last few years, we’ve given up points, and I think a lot of it had to do with confidence. When you’re giving up points, you’re kind of getting beaten down a little bit.

“I think guys have gone out and tried not to make mistakes. It’s going to happen. You’ve got to play the next play. It’s just building confidence and getting our guys to play fast and not playing not to make mistakes—being in an attack mode. You can’t let the offense dictate what they’re going to do.”

Jaworski’s experience coaching on the offensive side of the ball is sure to help him as he prepares game plans for JCA’s defense. And I’m not alone in thinking that way.

“It’s funny that you say that because I was just talking to Jimmy Sharp, my brother who coaches with us as well, and I said, ‘His time on offense gives him a good perspective on what offenses may try to do and where the weaknesses of the defense may be because he’s always been attacking defenses and finding weak spots’ ” JCA coach Dan Sharp said.

“Now that knowledge is very good when you’re putting a defense together. So, you’re exactly right. His experience on offense will help. And I really feel that he’s a guy that’s head coach material. I think he’s a young superstar as far as coaching goes.

“The fact he’s worked on both sides of the ball now and brings that total knowledge to the game I think is going to prepare him down the road when he decides to step into a head coaching position.”

The other thing working in Jaworski’s favor: Unlike McLaughlin, he can reach out and connect with all of JCA’s players during the school day because he works in the building. McLaughlin’s time with JCA’s players largely was limited to the playing field and practice sessions.

“Well, being a strong safety in high school—that’s what Jaws was—everything is more fast-paced,” JCA linebacker Zach Rezin said. “It’s fast-tempo running from drill-to-drill. And, on defense, we’re running different schemes to stop different route combinations.

“It all makes more sense now. He’s really helping all of the players understand what they’re supposed to do, and he’s making everything a little more broad and letting us play more, too.”

For Rezin, the learning curve has been reduced by the experience he gained playing full-time as a junior for The Hill. J.B. Butler, Nick Bolek, Anthony McInerney, Ken Aguirre, Kevin Jensen, Danny Weis, Jackson Shankland and Xavier Hernandez all gained a similar baptism under fire last season.

If you’re counting, that’s nine returning defensive players with varsity experience. No wonder Jaws is itching to get started. JCA opens on Aug. 30 against neighborhood rival Providence Catholic. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. on ATI Field at Joliet’s Memorial Stadium.

“With the personnel we have, it’s that game experience, and you can’t replicate that,” Jaworski said. “I know watching the film from Providence last year we had 11 guys on the field that never played a snap of varsity defense before that first game.

“Now, we’re looking at nine or 10 guys—not all starters, some of them play the same position—but we’re looking at guys who have been in the trenches before and have been in during good times, bad times. I think that helps with the confidence, too.”

Jaws is spinning a notion here, not a top—an old-school ideal—in a bid to change the mindset of some of his players. He knows one secret about achieving is that it often follows believing—he’s been there. He has come full circle.