Matt Crider, in third varsity season, set to become two-way standout for Wheaton Warrenville South

Halfway through the summer, Wheaton Warrenville South senior Matt Crider is building toward an impressive showing this fall.

At 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, Crider is an imposing player capable of doing some damage to would-be tacklers and also providing punishing hits on defense. A running back and an outside linebacker, Crider said he’s benefited from adding 10 pounds of muscle during the offseason to prepare for his third year on the varsity.

“I’ve just been getting back in shape,” Crider said. “I’m excited for this season. Playing linebacker should be fun and also playing slot and running back. I just want to help out the team anyway I can to make sure we have a winning season.

“I’ve been doing a lot of weight training and speed training, trying to get my numbers up in bench press and squat and try to get faster. I feel a lot better and stronger and can handle guys better with blocking and sticking with them.”

Crider welcomes a bigger role after the graduation of standout two-way starter Colin Moore, along with Braylen Meredith, Zach Choromokos and Andrew Moore. Crider said he’s aware of the importance of stepping up this season for the Tigers, a renowned program in the Chicago suburbs.

“Being a senior is really different, knowing this is my last year playing high school football,” he said. “We want the team to come together and have a great season. Last year taught me a lot, showed me how varsity football really is. It taught me how fast the game is and how to adapt to it and to help teach others how to adapt to it.”

Wheaton Warrenville South coach Sean Norris said Crider is ready for the challenge of becoming a consistent contributor and a leader for his program.

“[Matt] played a lot last year,” Norris said. “He has a lot of varsity experience and will play a lot on defense for us at linebacker. He’s going to be a two-way guy. He’s had a great offseason. He’s been a great kid and he will be a guy we will really rely on at running back and linebacker. He’s looking to have a really good senior year.”

Senior cornerback Connor Sliwa turned some heads last season by showcasing solid coverage skills and potential. He said he gained 12 pounds to bump his measurements to 6-foot and 172 pounds.

“Connor is having a great summer so far, a great lockdown corner and a great competitor and started every game last year,” Norris said. “He’s really leading our defense so far.”

Sliwa said he’s expecting a significant jump in his game for his senior season because of the experience he gained on the varsity last fall.

“Last year I felt I was reacting a lot, not anticipating a lot,” Sliwa said. “As a corner, you have to be able to anticipate through film and practice reps. I’ve gotten a lot better at that. We lost a few big leaders like Colin Moore. I’m going to try and step up and try and lead our defensive backs in particular.”

Norris said the Tigers, who finished with a 5-5 record last season, return a solid group of talented offensive players, led by junior quarterback Luca Carbonaro.

“We were at the University of Illinois [in early June] and competed really well against some really good teams down there, went 3-1,” Norris said. “We have a good offensive skill group, a good receiving corps with some good seniors. We have a returning quarterback in Luca Carbonara. He came up as a sophomore and played and started last year. He did a nice job. Our skill positions are going to be a strong suit for us, plus we have two returning starters on the offensive line in Russell Styrkowicz and Aaron Vivar.”