Natural wonder

Johnsburg senior wide receiver and safety C.J. Fiedorowicz is the Northwest Herald Football Player of the Year. Fiedorowicz, who last week committed to Iowa, made 44 receptions for 889 yards and 15 touchdowns this season as the Skyhawks advanced to the IHSA Class 4A quarterfinals. (H. Rick Bamman – hbamman@nwherald.com)

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There’s a reason college football coaches were falling all over themselves trying to get Johnsburg senior wide receiver and safety C.J. Fiedorowicz.

A reason other than the highlight-reel worthy catches, and that as one of the biggest players on the field he was blowing past defensive backs for long touchdowns.

The reason is this: Fiedorowicz is naturally gifted with size, speed and agility, but he also is driven by an insatiable desire to get better.

“When [Fiedorowicz] is in the weight room maxing out, everyone stops and watches,” linebacker Mike Silvestri said. “It’s unreal. We’re cheering him on, and he’s putting up all this weight.”

Fiedorowicz was a driving force for the Skyhawks (8-4) to their best playoff performance ever, as they advanced to the IHSA Class 4A quarterfinals before losing to Richmond-Burton. He caught 44 passes for 889 yards and 15 touchdowns and rarely left the field, even for special teams.

Fiedorowicz, a three-time Northwest Herald All-Area first-team choice, is the Northwest Herald Football Player of the Year, selected by the sports staff with input from area coaches. Cary-Grove’s Alex Hembrey and Harvard’s Vince Gabrys both received support from coaches, but Fiedorowicz’s all-around contributions pushed him to the top.

“I went into the year wanting to make school history, being a senior and playing with those guys I’d been with for so long,” said Fiedorowicz, who is 6-foot-6, 250 pounds. “It was tough losing to our rival [28-10 to R-B] like that.”

Fiedorowicz’s best game arguably came in Week 8 when Johnsburg, desperately needing two more wins to assure a 6-3 record and a playoff appearance, went to Prairie Ridge without injured quarterback George Bielis. Fiedorowicz caught seven passes from sophomore quarterback Jon Torgersen for 93 yards and two touchdowns, and also intercepted three passes to preserve the Skyhawks’ 24-21 win.

Johnsburg would not have made the playoffs at 5-4, so the victory at Prairie Ridge meant everything.

“We’d never beaten them in my high school career,” Fiedorowicz said. “We were a little nervous. That could have been the end of our season. We did awesome and played well from then on.”

Skyhawks coach Barry Creviston took the job last spring and was thrilled to have one season with Fiedorowicz, who committed to Illinois in June, then reconsidered, decommitted and committed to Iowa last week.

“It was an honor; he’s a once-in-a-lifetime guy to coach,” Creviston said. “He’s a great player, and a lot of people said, when I got the job, that he wasn’t much of a leader, but I’d say the opposite. He led quietly and emotionally when we needed him to.”

Silvestri concurred.

“If C.J. wasn’t there, I don’t know how much we could have done,” Silvestri said. “The leadership he brought was great. He was the leader. He was the go-to guy. If we needed something and didn’t know what to do, he was the guy.”

As for his workout habits, Fiedorowicz credits his father, Gary, with showing him the way.

“He’s a big guy, and he’s 55 and still works out almost every day,” Fiedorowicz said. “He gave me all the tips for working out the smart way and the right way. Ever since eighth grade, he got me in the weight room. I got in the habit of going, and now it’s part of my thing.”

Creviston said Fiedorowicz maxed at 350 pounds on bench press, 425 pounds at five repetitions for squats and 335 pounds for power cleans.

Another idea of the kind of athlete Fiedorowicz is came last spring when he ran track instead of playing baseball. Fiedorowicz, Silvestri, Brad Potts and Steve Seydel almost made the 4x100-meter relay finals at the IHSA Class 2A State Track and Field Meet.

“He’s never satisfied with what he does; it’s always about just a little more with him,” Silvestri said. “If he hits a max this week, he wants to get more next week. His dedication is unreal. He never stops, and he’s a great guy to learn from.”