‘An easy switch’
Stagg transfers Calacci and Koeppen find new home at Andrean, which will play for state title
Joe Calacci and Charlie Koeppen are happy at Andrean.
And Andrean is happy to have them.
Friends and teammates since sixth grade, Calacci and Koeppen transferred from Stagg with uncertainty surrounding the academics and athletics in Illinois due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Koeppen made the move for the second semester of the 2020-21 school year. Calacci followed over the summer.
Both juniors have been key contributors for the 59ers (11-3), who will play Evansville Mater
Dei (12-2) in the Class 2A Indiana state championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday. Calacci has started at safety and outside linebacker. Koeppen has become an unlikely starter at offensive guard.
They have made smooth transitions to Andrean.
“We wanted to make them feel welcome,” coach Chris Skinner said. “It was, like, ‘Hey, now you’re part of the Andrean community.’ Both of them have great personalities that have allowed them to blend in with this team and this culture very well.
“From the team standpoint, I’m very happy and proud the way everyone has accepted
them into the Andrean family as well, which didn’t surprise me. We really emphasize a culture of inclusivity, and when you see individuals buying into it, enjoying it and start to love it and reap the benefits of it, that makes me happy as the head coach.”
Koeppen and Calacci carpool to Andrean every day, alternating who drives for the roughly 35-minute trip from Palos
Heights.
Koeppen recalled his decision-making process to transfer.
“Illinois was fully online learning, sports weren’t guaranteed, so my family wanted a change,” Koeppen said. “It was for the best.
“It’s unreal here. The people, everyone’s so welcoming. You
walk in the door, everyone wants to be your friend. No one’s judging you. It’s been an easy switch.”
Koeppen’s family and Calacci’s family are close. They go on vacation together. They drive to games together. Last week, they rented a recreational vehicle together to make the trek for the semistate game at Eastside in Butler.
Calacci expressed interest in Andrean to Koeppen, and after the families talked, it wasn’t much of a leap for Calacci to decide to transfer too.
“I’ve been buddies with Charlie since middle school, and I shadowed him here in the spring, walking around and talking to people, and I liked it,” Calacci said.
“The family atmosphere sets it apart from other schools, and I can say that because I transferred in and experienced different schools and different programs. It’s a special place . ... When I came here in the summer, I knew I was in the right spot. Within the first 10 minutes, I knew this was where I was supposed to be. I was, like, ‘It’s going to be a good year.’”
Indeed, the 59ers stand one win away from their third state championship, having won in 3A in 2004 and 2013.
Koeppen, who played on Andrean’s junior varsity baseball team in the spring, is an inside linebacker by trade. But there wasn’t much of a pathway to playing time with junior Drayk Bowen, a Notre Dame recruit, and senior Eddie Bastardo at that position.
There was a thought Koeppen could back up Bastardo at H-back. But that possibility quickly faded when Koeppen partially tore a ligament and fractured his left thumb during the preseason scrimmage against Valparaiso, necessitating him to wear a club for a month.
Then, with three offensive linemen having suffered injuries before the season, Skinner approached Koeppen about playing guard. Koeppen had never played on the offensive line, but he jumped at the opportunity.
“I stepped up because I just did what the team needed to win,” he said. That impressed Skinner. “I have to give Chuck a lot of credit,” Skinner said. “I went to him and said, ‘Hey, man, can you play guard for us on offense?’ He said, ‘Coach, whatever you need for the team.’ After (Koeppen) being in the program for two months, to hear somebody just want to do whatever he can for the team, I knew right then this is a kid who’s going to fit in.
“I originally told him I needed him for three weeks until we got those guys back. At the end of three weeks, I called him back into my office, and before I could even finish the sentence, he said, ‘I want to keep playing guard.’ It’s awesome. That’s the truest definition of a teammate, especially for someone who recently transferred.”
Koeppen, who also has wrestled, has rotated at linebacker too. He has 27 tackles, including two for loss.
Calacci has 48 tackles, including three for loss, and two fumble recoveries. He started at safety as a sophomore for Stagg after the football season was pushed back to the spring.
“Joe’s been big for us at safety and linebacker,” Skinner said. “His versatility has been helpful because in some weeks he plays more of an outside linebacker role, some weeks more of a safety. So that versatility has been helpful, especially with some injuries in our defensive backfield.”
Calacci, who also plays basketball, hopes to get a crack at playing H-back next season. But he’s relishing this ride.
“It’s pretty unreal,” he said. “It’s really cool what we have going on here. Our team is super-special. It’s exciting.”