It’s no laughing matter, but senior Dominic Klimpke starts on defense at a position that Aurora Christian coach David Beebe calls “joker.”
The 5-foot-10, 190-pound Klimpke, however, is all business — serious business on the field, which also includes his role as a receiver on offense.
Klimpke, who’s in his third year as a varsity starter, began as a linebacker and moved to defensive end midway through his sophomore season. He now plays a hybrid role of rushing the passer, stopping the run or dropping into coverage.
“He fills it very well because you have to be an athlete to do it and you have to be tough,” Beebe said of Klimpke. “You’re still a lineman. Every day when he goes on defense in practice, he goes with the linemen.
“He doesn’t go with the linebackers.”
Klimpke put it all on the line Friday night on offense as well, catching five straight passes from senior quarterback Asa Johnson in the first quarter, with four of them going for touchdowns.
That streak got the Eagles rolling during a 63-0 rout of an overmatched St. Edward in the Chicagoland Christian Athletic Conference opener for both teams.
The Green Wave (1-2, 0-1) had just 16 players in uniform available for the game and it showed.
“Give hearts to them for playing the game out,” said an empathetic Johnson.
The 6-foot-4 Johnson completed 12 of 13 passes for 289 yards and seven TDs in the game, which also featured a safety for the Eagles (3-0, 1-0).
Klimpke, who plays in one black shoe and one white shoe, made TD catches of 12, 7, 5 and 54 yards.
On the final one, he grabbed a screen pass. Ten yards beyond the line of scrimmage, he stiff-armed a would-be tackler, raced to the sideline and then scooted in for the score.
Was it the shoes?
“No, I got the mismatch cleats from Dick’s,” said Klimpke, who wasn’t sure if they confuse or dazzle would-be tacklers.
He finished with six catches for 96 yards.
“This offense is amazing,” said Klimpke, who didn’t start on that side of the ball until last season. “We have so many different options we can run, so many concepts that we can go through.
“I’m just blessed to work with Asa. He’s one of the greatest quarterbacks I’ve ever worked with. I feel like our connection is so strong.”
Johnson — who connected on a 55-yard TD to senior receiver Eli Anderson and TD throws of 32 and 42 yards to freshman receiver Luke Baumann — feels that way, too.
“Dom came in last year and was always that one guy who came in under the radar,” Johnson said. “But when you needed him, he showed up.
“It wasn’t like we were playing for it to go to him or anything (Friday). But as luck of the draw, he ran his routes and did everything he needed to, and he was the open man.”
Sophomore running back Jalen Callaway closed out the scoring with a 10-yard run.
Scoring four TDs for Klimpke, meanwhile, is something. But there’s more to see on defense.
“I run the scout team sometimes,” Johnson said. “Seeing him come off the edge isn’t the most pleasant thing, but we have a close friendship. He’s a funny kid, but really hard-nosed, really hardworking. He shows up.”
Beebe moved Klimpke to the outside on offense this season.
“He was more of an upback last year,” Beebe said. “He got quicker in the offseason and we decided to take advantage. He can catch the ball well, runs good routes, is very explosive.”
It should serve him well at the next level.
Klimpke has three NCAA Division III offers from Central, Loras and Concordia Wisconsin. His older brother, Chris, played cornerback for Aurora Christian’s 2011 Class 3A state champions.
“He has a ring,” Dom said of his brother. “That just inspires me to get one as well.”
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