Mander, Stockman: 'Two' much for JCA foes

Linebackers Jake Stockman (left) and Josh Mander lead Joliet Catholic's defense.
(Michael R. Schmidt/Herald News)

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Ten pounds of beef, the distance between one side of a shoulder pad to the other and the flexibility to play the run or the pass to fine-print perfection are the attributes that separate Joliet Catholic inside linebackers Josh Mander and Jake Stockman.

At 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds, Mander moves from the outside after making 83 tackles with 32 solos, a sack and two hurries for the Class 6A state champions. At 6-2 and 210 pounds, Stockman switches from safety/outside linebacker to the inside after marking 63 tackles with 29 solos, a hurry and a handful of interceptions.

Due to the graduation of inside linebackers Josh Greenback and Boston College recruit Nick Clancy, JCA coach Dan Sharp decided to turn his linebacking crew inside-out for 2008, and what has developed can be described as a J-town of twin tacklers.

Together, they are better.

"He's kind of like my mini-me, although he's not very mini," Mander said, beaming. "He's almost like my twin. It's nice having that because I know that if I'm going to be blocked or taken down, I have him racing across the middle, too. I'll gladly take it."

After graduating 18 starters, including eight on defense, JCA defensive coordinator Cory McLaughlin and assistant Mark Mettille appear certainly glad to have both Mander and Stockman returning for the Hilltoppers' nonconference road opener Friday night at 7:30 against Carmel.

"The nice part about Josh and Jake is they're physically rugged and smart," said Mettille, an all-state linebacker who prepped under Dan Darlington at Morris and played collegiately for Gordie Gillespie at St. Francis. "They have the complete package of size, speed, instincts, the mental aspect and, obviously, toughness."

If that sounds like the epitome of a Hilltopper linebacker, you have logged on repeatedly to read the history at jolietcatholicfootball.com. From the last decade of all-staters like Mike Goolsby, Chris Jeske and Kevin Rouse, JCA has been blessed with monsters in the middle of a 4-4.

Together, it is a tell.

"It's not pressure, it's motivation," Stockman said. "My goal is to be like that, so when Coach Mac rattles off the names in the future, it's Goolsby, Jeske, Clancy, Mander, Stockman."

***

In the wake of a 6-4 season and a first-round playoff ouster in 2006, JCA responded to the wave by cementing Josh Greenback at the Mike linebacker position, the true middle linebacker spot in either the 4-4 or the 4-3. Nick Clancy took over as the freelancing, athletic inside linebacker.

For this fall, Mander fills the void of Greenback -- the Hilltoppers heading from one Josh to another. Mander, a senior who has a 3.45 grade-point average, becomes the brains of the run-stopping operation as well as finally gaining the reins of his regular ride.

This is the middle.

This makes sense.

"I had a lot more adjusting to do last year because I was on the outside," Mander said. "I just feel a whole lot more comfortable being able to use my bigger body to my full potential, instead of always running with somebody. I feel like I get to be more physical with my play and I really like that.

"There's a lot more action going on and you have to be a good key reader. The physical aspect is completely different, whether you're shucking off a guard or something like that. On the outside, you're usually playing opposite a tight end or a slot receiver. Inside, it's more physical, and that's what I love about playing football."

Playing alongside Stockman should be as easy of a transition for Mander because of their experience with the Plainfield Junior Cats. While last year they were located as the bookends for Greenback and Clancy, this year they will line up constantly as the combo.

"Jake and I are used to seeing other from playing together in pee-wee," Mander said. "I've known Jake for a long time, he's known me, and we're getting that bond back together as inside linebackers. I don't know if you can compare it with what Josh and Nick had because we're totally different as linebackers, but sometimes, it's like we're reading each other's minds."

Mind over matter works at inside linebacker in the same manner as on the outside, and JCA coaches saw the writing on the wall with Josh's name. Much like putting Ray Lewis at middle linebacker, No. 5 looks like a charm.

"Mander has always been more of a natural inside guy," Sharp said. "But he played so well on the outside that I think it made him into a better overall linebacker when it comes to pass coverage, blitzing and things like that. Inside, he's more comfortable reading, stepping up, filling gaps and making tackles."

"What I love about Josh is he's a very intense player," Mettille said. "Being a linebacker, there's that special something about the intensity level, and JCA has had some great ones in the past from Goolsby to Jeske, plus the group in 1999 where all four went Division I. But intensity and loving to play, that's the kind of guy Josh is."

***

As a sophomore on the varsity, Jake Stockman benefitted from his ability to slide back as a strong safety or stay in the box to attack the run. He was the prototypical weak-side linebacker in the 4-4 when JCA transformed to the 4-3 formation on second-and-long or in passing situations.

Now, as a junior, Stockman hopes to continue in his do-it-all role, despite adding the intricacies of starting from the inside. The precedence of such can be traced to Clancy, who played outside linebacker as a sophomore, went to weak safety as a junior and starred inside last year. Stockman thinks he can do the same thing.

This is the middle.

This still makes sense.

"It's a lot more physical," Stockman said, agreeing with Mander. "You're in on every play, but Coach Mettille made it really easy for me to adapt, made it really simple to move from the outside to the inside, and it helps to get me into every play. I roam around the field, and it's a lot better being in the middle of the action.

"And I see it being just like Clancy, and he did it great last year because he was so athletic, how he played inside and outside. It was good for him because he could use his speed and he could be in there for every play, but teams couldn't run away from him. I feel comfortable playing inside now."

In his 11 years as JCA's head coach, Dan Sharp's 122-20 record and six state championships speak louder than Lisa Lampanelli at a comedy roast. It was no laughing matter for him to sell Stockman on the inside.

"Jake's going to fill in that position that Clancy had," Sharp said. "You know he's going to play that other inside backer, but you may see him on the outside and you may see him move around the front because he has that kind of athleticism. He's a basketball player and he brings that type of athleticism to our defense."

"You have to love Jake's versatility," Mettille said. "It's very similar to Clancy in that we can do a lot of different things with him. We can put him in a blitzing role, he's solid against the run, and we can put him into pass coverage against the best players."

The Best of Stockman spins like a record due to his pass-coverage skills -- none better than when Stockman leaped and returned an interception 58 yards for a touchdown in last year's 51-15 victory over Morris.

"I love pass drops," Stockman said. "Pass coverage is probably my favorite thing to do in football. And I think from the inside, I'm in a coverage every play and I'm in the middle of everything every play, so I love that."

***

Tyler Hudetz rushed 176 times for 1,618 yards and 18 touchdowns last season, part of Joliet Catholic's All-Star Backfield that set a state record for total yards. He has been practicing and scrimmaging against Mander and Stockman, and his opinion on the outside-in match resonates.

Together, they are tough.

"I think you can tell from their size, they're two big kids," Hudetz said. "They've gotten a lot faster from last year, and they're both around 220, 230. They're bulls. They can hit you and they can chase you down."

Forget about NASCAR's Chase for the Cup. Mander and Stockman, who wears No. 11, will drive side-by-side with abandon for any and each stop.

"Our chemistry is great," Mander said. "It's a good balance. Sometimes, I get caught up in the mix, and I can look back and know that he's there already. It helps me out in case a wide receiver decides to come across the middle or something in pass coverage like that. I can pursue my reads."

"Chemistry means everything for us," Stockman said. "Josh and I have known each other for so long that we read off of each other so well. We know where to be and we know how to adjust. If one person is in one spot, we know where else we have to cover, It might now always be our exact responsibility, but we get the job done."

Because of Mander and Stockman on the outside, Greenback (103 tackles, 33 solos, 2 sacks, 4 hurries) and Clancy (112 tackles, 40 solos, one sack, seven hurries, two interceptions) got the job done like a couple of whirling dervishes a year ago. With the inside-out deal, Sharp expects a likewise result.

Together, it is their time.

"When you're in a class that's right behind a good class like with Greenback and Clancy, you want to get your best four on the field," Sharp said. "A lot of times, that sophomore middle linebacker, that junior middle linebacker, is your next-best guy. The idea is to put the best talent on the field, teach them up and then through graduation, move them into their natural positions."