Persistence puts Jauch in key role for Mustangs

Kelly Jauch refused to be deterred from his goal even when he was on the Rolling Meadows freshman "B" football team.

"I love football," Jauch said. "I wanted to show even on the 'B' team I could start on varsity."

Jauch is doing more than just starting for the Mustangs as they get ready for their Class 7A second-round playoff game Saturday at Lake Zurich.

The 6-foot-1, 182-pound senior inside linebacker is finishing off ballcarriers with a team-high 110 tackles and 4 sacks for a defense allowing just 8 points a game.

"He's been great for us," said Meadows linebackers coach Scott Otahal, who as an all-area pick at the position for his alma mater in 1989.

"He has a nose for the football and he really plays tough," said Meadows coach Doug Millsaps. "He runs well and gets big hits.

"He was one coach 'Otey' thought would be a good player for us and he was really right."

Playing football and inside linebacker since the third grade helped fuel Jauch's desire to prove others wrong.

He tried out at wide receiver and cornerback as a freshman and wound up playing middle linebacker.

"I was surprised and pretty upset about it," Jauch said of his early demotion. "But I just played and had a really good year that year."

Jauch was starting on the sophomore team. Last year he played special teams and got a couple of starts at fullback and one at linebacker.

It proved to be a valuable education. Jauch shed some of the nerves of taking on big boys such as Wheeling's Nick Bledsoe and put on 10-15 pounds of off-season muscle.

And Jauch was a good fit in Meadows' move away from big pluggers on the inside to guys who can run.

"He's athletic enough and so aggressive," Otahal said. "It fits him perfectly.

"Moving Joe (Okon) up from safety has really helped and taken a lot of pressure off."

So Jauch has no problem if teams want to avoid the 6-foot-2, 213-pound Okon, who is getting Division I interest. He will gladly pile up the tackles.

"Having Joe to the side of me is great, too," Jauch said. "He's a monster. If they want to overlook me I can come in and help."

Jauch's dad Tim initially went to Buffalo Grove and then moved and played football and wrestled at downstate Dakota. He also wrestled at Augustana.

Jauch is wrestling with his decision of where to go to school. He has a 4.0 grade-point average on a 5.0 scale with a 23 ACT and is interested in going into the pharmaceutical field.

And Jauch isn't ready to give up football.

"I want to try to keep playing somewhere," he said.

The same way Jauch wanted to keep playing despite starting at the freshman "B" level.

Now he wants to help 9-1 Meadows continue playing beyond this weekend's trip to last year's 7A state runnerup.

"He's what high school football is supposed to be," Millsaps said.