It’s probably no surprise that Kieran Duncan grew up to be a key contributor on the offensive and defensive lines for West Aurora’s football team.
The 6-foot-1, 230-pound senior, who is in his third year as a varsity starter, is likely headed to his third straight playoffs with the Blackhawks.
It sounds like the signs were there at an early age for Kieran, the youngest of three boys in the Crystal Lake household of Colleen Duncan, who’s now a social studies teacher at West Aurora.
Kieran began playing at age 4, just like his two brothers who are two and seven years older.
“I was a troublemaker,” a sheepish Kieran said this week about his childhood. “I got kicked out of preschool. My mom had me at home because I wasn’t old enough to be in kindergarten.
“She was trying to finish college and said, ‘I need something for you to do.’ She put me in football and gave me a tape titled ‘NFL’s Biggest Hits.’ I was like, ‘I want to do that.’ So here I am.”
The self-described “naughty little kid” with a ton of energy found an outlet.
“I just needed somewhere to let it out,” Kieran said.
West Aurora coach Nate Eimer couldn’t be happier.
“He’s just a workhorse, loves the weight room and is a great team player,” Eimer said. “He will go pretty much wherever we ask him to go.”
The Blackhawks (5-2, 3-1) play host to crosstown rival East Aurora (1-6, 0-4) in an Upstate Eight West game at 6 p.m. Friday in the 128th meeting of the state’s longest rivalry.
West Aurora is coming off a surprise bye week, getting a forfeit win when Larkin had too many sick players to field a team.
Duncan, meanwhile, played strictly offense as a sophomore, then on both lines as a junior and both lines again this season, with more time on defense now than offense.
“Those early tough games on our schedule we figured out how we’ve gotta look,” Eimer said. “We found we needed Kieran on the D-line, an area we kind of struggled in trying to stop the run.”
Duncan has 18 solo tackles and one assist for the season.
“It’s been great — I love defense,” said Duncan, who still plays plenty of offensive guard, opposite his buddy Alfonso Aguilar on the other side of the line.
“Last year, we played next to each other. He’s one of my closest friends and will come in on defense in crunch situations like third-and-one if we need more help inside.”
Duncan also wrestled but gave it up due to a shoulder injury.
“Doctors said it was going to keep recurring,” he said. “Now I do competitive cheerleading, too. My mom was the cheer coach and said it would help get my shoulder stronger.
“I’m pretty good at it. It’s what I do now.”
Known for long blond hair hanging out from under his helmet, Duncan confirmed that his future length is still up in the air.
“I may cut it,” he said. “But not till the end of the season.”
Duncan, who has NCAA Division III offers and Division II interest for football, regrets not being taller.
‘I want to keep playing football but it’s a tough decision,” Duncan said. “Everybody wants to play at the highest level they can, but it isn’t always about talent and skill. A lot of people get overlooked because you can’t teach size.
“My whole life I was a monster, but I was just a little angry kid. Freshman year, I was 6-foot and everybody thought I’d be huge, but I didn’t grow any more and that was it.”
Eimer pointed out that Duncan might end up being a Division I cheerleader.
“He’s talented enough,” Eimer said. “He’s a great athlete.”
First comes the playoffs though.
“I’ve heard our first-round matchup could be Hinsdale Central,” Duncan said of Red Devils, who handed the Blackhawks their first loss.
Conference rival South Elgin was the other.
“I’d love to play either one or both again,” he said.
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