As a wide receiver whose primary focus is on blocking, senior Connor Engstrom gets it and gets after it. He doesn’t have the most high-profile job on offense for St. Laurence.

But when the game is on the line and he’s taking care of Notre Dame-bound linebacker Dominik Hulak, what Engstrom does is invaluable and translates to crucial victories.

Just ask coach Adam Nissen, who watched Engstrom ply his trade to a T in Saturday’s game-winning drive against powerful IC Catholic in a Class 4A state quarterfinal.

“We got it on the 28, and he was on the field for every single play except the touchdown play,” Nissen said of Engstrom. “I can’t emphasize enough — he puts guys before him.”

The drive, capped by a 2-yard TD run from senior running back Aaron Ball with 21 seconds left, lifted the 11th-seeded Vikings to a 24-20 victory and into this weekend’s semifinals.

Getting a home game with nice weather in the forecast, St. Laurence will play at 3 p.m. Saturday against another tough customer in fourth-seeded Wheaton Academy (11-1).

To understand his value against IC Catholic (9-3), consider Engstrom’s primary assignment was to block the 6-foot-3, 235-pound Hulak. Engstrom checks in at 6-0 and 160.

No matter. Engstrom did what he needed to do against the hulking Hulak. And Engstrom wasn’t even disappointed when Nissen called for a bunch package on Ball’s scoring run, which doesn’t have a receiver on the field.

It was winning that mattered, but at this juncture of the season, isn’t that the point?

“The environment was electric,” Engstrom said. “I mean, going into the game as the underdogs, everyone thinks we’re going to lose. We believed in ourselves and got the job done.”

Engstrom completed his job by blocking for the point after Ball’s TD, which was successful and put a tie out of reach for IC Catholic, where Nissen was athletic director from 2017 to 2019.

A Hickory Hills resident, Engstrom started in football at age 5 in the Summit Rebels program before shifting to Lyons in La Grange. That’s where he learned to play slot receiver after a few years of playing quarterback and running back.

“When I went to Lyons, they thought I could get the ball more at wideout and I respected what the coach wanted,” he said. “Anything I can do to help the team.”

That sentiment hasn’t changed, and it may very well send the Vikings to the Class 4A state championship game, which is important to everyone but perhaps no one more than Nissen.

These seniors were his first class at the school after he was hired.

Engstrom had a traditional route to varsity, Nissen pointed out, playing at the lower levels his first two seasons, then behind an all-conference receiver as a junior. He bided his time.

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Now that he’s a senior, putting in the work has translated into leadership for St. Laurence. He doesn’t talk much, just like he doesn’t light up the stat sheet, but his work ethic — and his occasional vocal presence — make an impact, according to senior quarterback Evan Les.

“Connor’s impact on the perimeter can’t be overstated,” Les said. “He’s done a really good job of working hard in practice and fine tuning that part of his game.

“I’m glad it’s getting noticed.”

After high school, Engstrom wants to play football. He already has an offer from Grinnell in Iowa. With six brothers, three of whom played college football, he’s in good shape when it comes to counsel for the recruiting process.

“I feel like I could be a contributor at the next level,” he said.

Just business as usual.

Gregg Voss is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.