Dolleton, a 5-foot-7 and 225-pound fireplug, was considered the team’s best lineman that season by Wolves coach Chris Schremp, an opinion that Ommen would not debate.
“First, I was happy I got moved up (to varsity as a freshman),” said Ommen, a linebacker. “Second, it was kind of scary. These guys are three years older than me. I’m going against guys like Chris Dolleton, and he’s so short you couldn’t get lower than him no matter how low you tried to go. I was getting tossed around and dragged around a lot. That helped motivate me to work out harder in the offseason. You had that urge to deliver the hits a little bit more the next year rather than take them.”
Ommen was not alone that season. Three other freshmen – then-split end Samson Evans, tackle Jeff Jenkins and linebacker Joe Perhats – started the year with the varsity team. Running back Zach Gulbransen, another freshman, was called up from the sophomore team by the third game when the Wolves’ backfield was hit with injuries.
Five freshmen on a Class 6A team was an aberration, but Schremp and his staff identified something special with that group. Along with them winning The Chicagoland Youth Football League Big 10 Heavyweight Elite Super Bowl as eighth graders, they displayed physical and mental maturity beyond their years.
In 2015, Evans moved to quarterback of the Wolves’ triple-option offense and they lost to eventual state champion Montini, 35-27, in the Class 6A playoffs semifinals. Last season, they won the Class 6A state title, 48-17, over Sacred Heart-Griffin.
The quintet’s three teams have compiled a 31-6 record and, with those five leading the way again, the Wolves should add a lot more on the left side of that ledger. They will be the favorite to again win the Class 6A championship.
Flexbone Association 
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