Kendall County notes: Mikey Claycombe, Oswego linebackers add up to one elite unit

Opposing coaches shouldn’t have difficulty identifying Oswego’s three linebackers on film.

It’s as easy as 4, 5, 6.

Oswego’s trio of senior linebackers – Easton Ruby, Carson Cooney and Mikey Claycombe – has worn the successive jersey numbers since their sophomore year.

“I don’t know how we came up with it,” Claycombe said. “I think one night we were like, ‘We have to do something.’ I was looking for a new number to wear, Carson was No. 5, we were like, we might as well get a consecutive number thing going. Sophomore year was the first year we were all together after Easton transferred from Oswego East. We like it.”

Generating any kind of offense on Oswego? Not so easy. The linebacking corps is the core of one elite defense.

Last Friday’s eye-opening 17-0 shutout of Joliet Catholic provided further validation. The Hilltoppers managed just 148 yards of offense and were shut out for the first time since 2018.

“We worked all offseason; we didn’t just start right now,” Claycombe said. “We’ve been working in the weight room, practiced hard all week. We knew the type of team that Joliet Catholic was. We knew what we needed to do. We played our game and did what we needed to do.”

Oswego (2-0), which allowed a total of 70 points over nine regular-season games last year, has given up just one score through two games against Neuqua Valley and JCA. Panthers’ coach Brian Cooney was impressed with how quickly his defense switched gears to prepare for two very different offensive systems.

“Physicality and discipline,” Cooney said, when asked what stood out the most. “Here are your keys, here are your reads, do-your-job mentality. What Joliet Catholic does is hard to duplicate in practice. We don’t run it, and many of the teams we see don’t run that style of offense. It’s hard to replicate how they do it, and they’re so big and so physical. The kids knew what was in front of them.

“Proud of their preparation and how they responded.”

Claycombe, in particular, cleaned up to the tune of eight solo tackles, 10 assists and one tackle for loss.

“Mikey was all over the place, he really was,” Cooney said. “He does so many of the little things, one, because the position he is at he can clean up some things, but he has such a nose for the ball. Claycombe just fixes so much for us, he really does. He did it all on Friday.”

Claycombe has the instincts of a kid born to play the position, but he didn’t play linebacker until high school. Admittedly on the chubbier side as a kid, he was always put on the offensive or defensive line. He didn’t lose weight, but a growth spurt in seventh grade shifted his weight and filled out his frame.

He wore No. 88 his freshman year while adjusting to the linebacker spot.

“I was one of the last to pick their number,” he recalled with a laugh. “It’s a completely different game at linebacker. You have to see everything. You have to be in the trenches, and you have to play the passing game all over the field. It was a little hard at first, but I’m a quick learner.”

While his running mate, Carson Cooney, committed to Iowa earlier this year, the recruiting process has been more gradual for Claycombe. He just got back from a game day visit to Eastern Illinois and is talking to Southern Illinois. He’s also had contact with Drake and North Dakota State.

“Been to camps, been to all of that, need to get senior film out there balling out,” Claycombe said. “Good things are on the way.”

Plano, Sandwich set to meet for 113th time

When Sandwich visits Plano on Friday, it will mark the 113th meeting between rivals along Rt. 34 in a series that dates back to 1897.

First-year Plano coach Kyle Tutt knows a thing or two about long-standing rivalries. He previously coached at Streator and participated in the Streator-Ottawa matchup which goes all the way back to 1894.

With that experience in hand, Tutt can appreciate what these games mean to two communities. But he also stressed what matters most will happen between the lines.

“That is one thing we talked about, is that this is about tradition and history, but when it comes down to the football, it’s about the guys on the field,” Tutt said. “We’re taking time to appreciate the rivalry between two communities, backing children and the sport. But when the lights turn on and the whistle blows, we’ll get back to playing football.

“For us, it’s just making sure we stay within ourselves. It’s like what we do with homecoming. We try to take care of business with what we need to do outside of football, but when it is football time we compartmentalize and do football stuff.”

Rivalry aside, it’s a big game for both teams entering Kishwaukee River Conference play. Sandwich, a Class 4A quarterfinalist a year ago, has struggled to an 0-2 start, albeit losses to a couple quality opponents in Manteno and Wilmington. Manteno also beat Plano (1-1) in Week 2.

“They are very good,” Tutt said of Sandwich “They have played two very good teams. I think when you take on those challenges, it gets you a chance to see where you are at. We know they’re going to bring everything they have for Week 3.”

Oswego East seeks to ‘take care of ourself’

Oswego East currently sits at 0-2, but the Wolves have good reason to believe that record could easily be reversed.

Wolves coach Tyson LeBlanc noted his team has outgained its opponent, yardage-wise, in both games. Oswego East had nine drives in its 14-0, Week 1 loss to Waubonsie Valley. Two ended in turnovers, the other seven stalled on penalties. Two bad Oswego East special teams snaps contributed to a Sycamore score in Week 2, and the Spartans had a later touchdown set up by a 27-yard gain on a botched field goal.

“Take away those special teams miscues ... the thing we’ve talked about with our guys is it hasn’t been our opponents,” LeBlanc said. “Not taking anything away from them, but you see the mistakes we’re making. It’s about taking care of ourself. The Sycamore game we had been able to move the ball when we got out of our own way.”

Oswego East’s defense, for its part, has given up three touchdowns so far this year. Two came on drives of 11 yards or less.

“We’ve put them in bad positions, and they still have responded in most situations,” LeBlanc said. “We have to find a way offensively to get some things going to help them out.”

LeBlanc noted the play of senior safety Andy Pohlman, senior corner back Nigel Grisby, senior safety/linebacker Jake Boissiere and senior linebacker Jordan Lewis.

“Jordan, our middle linebacker, has played really well this year,” LeBlanc said. “He started the last 3-4 games for us last year after Manny Howard got hurt. He plays the run well, he has been reading the keys, doing the things he needs to do at that end. We expected him to be a guy for us, but probably not at the level he has been so far.

“Pohlman is a guy who continues to make plays for us on both sides of the ball and in the return game as a punt returner. Nigel is a guy we have confidence in, and Jake is Jake. They are guys we counted on who haven’t disappointed.”