Football made quite an impression on Logan Sledzik when he was a little kid watching the Chicago Bears.

The Grant senior remembers seeing players like quarterback Jay Cutler and running back Matt Forte.

“I was like, ‘This sport is awesome,’” Sledzik said. “And then when I played it for the first time, I was like, ‘This is just such a great sport.’”

Sledzik, who had already played baseball and basketball, found his calling.

“I love being able to forget about everything else in life,” he said. “I can’t even describe it, hearing everyone cheer for you.”

The 6-foot-2, 210-pound Sledzik has heard plenty of cheers during his three varsity seasons for the Bulldogs (2-1, 0-1). He was named All-Northern Lake County Conference as an offensive tackle during his sophomore season, played on both the offensive and defensive lines as a junior and has become a stalwart defensive lineman with occasional looks at tight end this season.

“He’s been definitely a program kid,” Grant coach Tim Norwood said. “He’s filled in wherever we asked him to without hesitation. It was just a matter of what was best for the team. Those are the kinds of kids you want in your program. But playing D-line was ultimately where we always wanted him to be.”

Grant defensive line coach Chris Robinson is happy to have Sledzik at the position.

“He absorbs and understands football,” Robinson said. “Today in practice, there was a nitpicky thing we were working on. After practice, he came up to me and thanked me for focusing on that. I was just impressed by that kind of maturity.”

Defense is where Sledzik feels at home too. He enjoys spoiling offensive coordinators’ game plans.

Grant’s Logan Sledzik (44) and a coach fist-bump during a Northern Lake County Conference game against Lakes in Lake Villa on Friday, Sept. 12, 2025. (Audrey Richardson / News-Sun)

“I like to mess stuff up,” he said. “Offenses want to have a perfect world, but I love going in and causing havoc, going after the quarterback. If I’m continuously messing up where the lineman is going, it’s going to help us on the defensive side. It’s really fun for me.”

Sledzik, who has helped anchor a defense that has allowed 17.3 points per game, reveled in stopping the run-pass option during Grant’s 42-13 season-opening win against Mundelein on Aug. 29.

“They kept trying to read me, and every time they did, I was able to tackle the quarterback,” Sledzik said. “I feel like I messed that game plan up. And also just being able to flush the quarterback out of the pocket and make him go on the run disrupted his timing.”

Sledzik still plays baseball at Grant, and the narrative is the same: defense first.

“I’m a good defensive first baseman,” he said. “I can pick almost anything.”

Sledzik intends to play baseball again in the spring but wants to play football in college.

“I looked at myself in the mirror and realized I have more of a football body,” he said. “Also, the games for football are the best thing. You get to play under the lights for like 2,000 fans. It’s definitely what I want to do in college.”

First, Sledzik wants to have a special senior season. Norwood, who became Grant’s coach when Sledzik was a freshman in 2022, can sense that.

“With Logan and this group in general, there’s just a different feel than we’ve had in recent years,” Norwood said. “This group is super focused and is such a tight group. These seniors know this is their last opportunity. So they’ve really committed to each other.”

Sam Brief is a freelance reporter.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/09/17/football-grant-logan-sledzik/