Nazareth senior linebacker Gabe Kaminski is the Suburban Life Player of the Year

Nazareth senior linebacker Gabe Kaminski’s career played out perfectly.

The Stanford recruit is a three-time state champion, ranked first all-time in Illinois High School Association football history in sacks (42) and second in tackles (405).

He’s among the top 25 seniors in the state and is the perfect epitome of a successful student-athlete for a program that just captured a third consecutive state championship.

Yet just three-plus years ago, Kaminski entered a stage of his life fraught with doubt, concern and uncertainty.

His career looked filled with potholes and danger signs.

The Roadrunners, who have won six state championships in Tim Racki’s era, had a shortage of players on their roster because of the pandemic. Star quarterback J.J. McCarthy started the downward cycle by announcing his transfer to IMG Academy for his senior season in May 2020.

Kaminski was a well-known star in football and wrestling, but he even questioned his future at the private school in La Grange Park. He started his career playing tight end and defensive end.

“I have always loved football and it was my main focus even in my freshman year,” Kaminski said. “I didn’t think I would be on the varsity as a freshman. I kept my head down, kept working and kept the faith when I chose Nazareth. It’s all been above my expectations how everything turned out, but I knew that it was within reach because of the rich tradition and players like J.J. McCarthy.”

Kaminski, the 2024 Suburban Life Football Player of the Year, concluded his illustrious career with 128 tackles, five sacks, four fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles to spark a defense that allowed only 1,465 passing yards.

Racki, who captured his 10th state championship this season, called Kaminski a rare player who possesses a mix of athleticism, intelligence and a strong work ethic and is unselfish.

“When you have a kid rare as Gabe, he’s in that 1%,” Racki said. “He’s so internally motivated. He absolutely takes the coaching because he wants to get better. He’s very receptive to anyone willing to give him coaching. His athleticism for the position he plays is off the charts. He can literally play multiple positions, and he has. He didn’t have his hand on the ground until the middle or late last season.

“He’s very soft spoken and humble and not a kid who says many words. I never once raised my voice to him. He never took a play off. As a coach, it was truly a blessing to have a talent like Gabe.”

Led by Kaminski, quarterback Logan Malachuk and James Penley, the Class of 2025 made a point to return Nazareth to its past glory.

But the Roadrunners won only nine of their next 18 games, including a rough 2-4 start in 2022. With Malachuk slinging passes all over the field and Kaminski covering every inch on defense, the Roadrunners closed out the season with seven wins in a row to capture the Class 5A state championship.

In 2023, the Roadrunners topped the previous season’s stunning feat by overcoming an 0-4 start to win the Class 5A state title.

Kaminski, the program’s first four-time all-conference player, headlined the senior class that closed out their careers with a thrilling 29-27 victory over Joliet Catholic in the 5A state title game Nov. 30 to cap a historic three-peat.

Kaminski, an academic and athletic All-Stater who earned Chicago Catholic League Green Defensive Player of the Year, said the seniors took a lot of pride in restoring the luster back to the program. Kaminski said last season’s run to state was his most memorable accomplishment.

“I would say junior year state because we started 1-4 and that was the first time in IHSA history to get into the playoffs and win state with a 4-5 regular-season record,” Kaminski said. “That was really special. I’ll always remember that playoff run.”

At this point, Kaminski’s legend is well-known throughout the area, but his teammates remain amazed by his thirst to constantly improve.

Nazareth senior defensive lineman Nolan Daly pointed to wrestling as one of the hidden secrets to Kaminski’s success, especially battling offensive linemen at the point of attack.

“I think something unique that makes Gabe such a great football player is his background in wrestling,” Daly said. “I wrestled for two years in high school and spent a lot of time going against Gabe in practice. He uses leverage really well in wrestling, along with his speed and hands. All three of those aspects transfer over to the football field really well.

“They allow him to beat some of the top linemen in the state with ease who are often 50 pounds heavier than him and that’s because of his ability to play football with unmatched level of skill and technique developed by his high-level wrestling background.”

Nazareth offensive/defensive lineman Sam Stec said Kaminski’s biggest asset is his desire to improve.

“Gabe’s worth ethic and dedication is what I feel makes him so talented,” Stec said. “He’s one of the hardest workers in the weight room and on the field. He pushes us to be better as we try to push him. He’s the type of guy who is the first one in and the last one to leave type.”

Kaminski, who quit wrestling after his sophomore season, played a new role for the Roadrunners this season. As a senior captain, Kaminski wasn’t playing “up” anymore. He had to be a vocal leader.

“I think it really changed my mindset in the leadership perspective,” he said. “In years past, I was a lead-by-example type guy. This year, being a captain, I took a different approach and had to be more vocal and needed to take others under my wing. It was a big shift for this season for me. It was pretty hard. I’m not a vocal guy. I like to keep to myself.

“It was a special season for sure. It’s something that’s not been done in Nazareth history to three-peat. I think the biggest thing for us is leaving the program better than we found it. We really hoped we would achieve that. I think we did.”