The summer of 2022 was a grind for Kachi Ugwu.

“You had to be there every day and wake up at 5 a.m. to be there by 6 a.m.,” he said. “A lot of work was put into it, a lot of hours.”

The long hours and early mornings paid off for Ugwu. The senior linebacker captained the Elk Grove boys football team, which finished 7-2 this season and advanced to the playoffs for the first time since 2013. Ugwu will be taking his talents to Naperville, where he will play football for North Central College.

The 2022 football season took a completely different turn from previous seasons. Ugwu said he saw an opportunity to take a leadership role in the program, so he took it. Ugwu’s leadership brought a positive attitude to the underclassmen in the program. 

“The younger guys can talk to me,” Ugwu said. “I’m their brother.”

When he arrives on North Central’s campus in the fall, he plans on pursuing a major in criminology. The school’s football program is perhaps best-known for winning the NCAA Division III football championship in 2022.

Ugwu’s interest in North Central sparked when resource counselors at EGHS notified North Central recruiters about EG’s football season along with making it to the playoffs in 2022. 

“I see their work ethic, and I want to go and be a part of that,” Ugwu said. 

Ugwu’s said he echoed his work ethic off the Elk Grove football program’s motto of “Fight, Courage, Sacrifice,” which led him and the rest of his team to have one of the best football seasons the program has seen in recent years.

“My leadership really took a step forward,” Ugwu said. “Everybody trusted me.”