Morris’ Jacob Swartz embraces leadership role

MORRIS – Football is in Jacob Swartz’s blood. More specifically, Morris football runs deep in Swartz’s veins.

The senior running back/linebacker is the third of three brothers who have played for Morris, starting with Dylan, who was an offensive lineman on the last Morris team to reach the state championship game in 2017, and then Nolan. Another connection to the program is the fact that his father, Jake, played high school football for Seneca with Morris coach Alan Thorson.

Swartz, who carried the ball 84 times for 632 yards and nine touchdowns and had 38 tackles, incuding a sack, for Morris’ Class 5A semifinalist team last season, was recently voted by the players and coaches as one of four captains for the 2023 season, along with A.J. Zweeres, Carter Button and Mason Stapleton.

It’s a title Swartz takes seriously.

“I have always seen myself as a leader,” he said. “It’s a great honor to be voted as a captain by teammates and coaches, but even if I didn’t get the votes, I would be a leader anyway.

“I try to lead both vocally and by example. I try to do things the right way, both on and off the field. That includes getting to class on time, doing your homework, studying the playbook, all of that stuff.”

Thorson feels that Swartz is a natural in the captain’s slot.

“He was almost voted a captain last year as a junior,” Thorson said about Swartz. “That’s how much respect that senior class had for him. He is by far our most vocal leader. At the end of practice, he almost always has something extra to say to the team. He’s an extremely hard worker, and the rest of the team sees that and follows that.

“He comes from a great football family and has lived almost his whole life with this program. He watched his older brothers play and has been around for what seems like forever.”

As a Morris football fan and now captain, Swartz knows what is expected every fall.

“We made the semifinals last year and want to take that next step,” Thorson said. “The goal immediately after we lost in the semifinals was to get back to work and make it to state this year. We know there are a lot of steps that we have to take to get there, but we are taking it day by day and trying to take those steps.

“We are excited about the season. We have a lot of talent, and everyone has been working really hard. The players have put in a lot of work, and the coaches keep pushing us to get better. They always say that everyone on the team needs to know what to do when they get on the field. I was brought up to the varsity as a sophomore and played some on special teams and on the scout team. Everyone that wears our uniform has a job to do. The scout team is especially important because they need to push the starters in order to make them better. I did it when I was younger, so I can tell the younger guys what they need to do. I’ve been there. We’ve all been there.”

Thorson knows that the program is in good hands with Swartz in a leadership role.

“As I said, Jacob comes from a great football family,” Swartz said. “He has lived and died with this program his whole life. I can’t think of a better kid to be voted as captain. His teammates voting him into that position shows what kind of respect he has from the team.

“Not only that, but he is very talented and works his butt off. He is always in the right place and knows the right way to play. He’s probably going to have a bulk of our carries on offense, and he is going to play a lot at linebacker, too. It’s hard to keep him off the field.”