Libertyville linebacker Caleb Baczek stood in an expansive green field and ran the beep test.

Known by other names, including the shuttle run test, the drill is used to gauge athletes’ fitness levels.

Training for his junior season, Baczek ran the test under the guidance of his older sister, Grace, who just kicked off her freshman year playing Division I soccer at St. Bonaventure.

“The beep test is a soccer thing, but he does it with me,” Grace Baczek said. “We go out to the fields and train together. I’ll run pass routes, and he’ll block me. He’ll kick balls for me to control in the air.

“We play sports that are so different, so we have different things we like to show each other. It’s great to train with him. I don’t have to do anything alone. I always have someone to push me.”

Caleb Baczek feels the burn, he confirmed.

“Those sessions push me to the limits,” he said. “And I always want to one-up my siblings.”

Those siblings include older brother Chase, who wrestles at Wabash College in Indiana. But their family’s experience in college sports goes beyond them. Their father, Todd, played football at Northwestern and was signed by the New York Jets, and their mother, Trish, played water polo at Penn State.

“I really want to push myself to be where my dad was,” Caleb Baczek said. “I really want to be close to his level. Having him push me means so much.”

An outside linebacker for the Wildcats (5-5), who start the season with a nonconference home game against Lemont on Aug. 25, Caleb Baczek has flourished on the wrestling mats too. He qualified for the Class 3A state meet in February, eyeing and training with his older brother the entire time.

“(Chase) made me push myself,” Caleb Baczek said. “I always loved one-upping him. He didn’t qualify for state in wrestling until his senior year, and I qualified as a sophomore. I love to have that competitiveness against him.”

But Caleb Baczek said his mentality is more suited for the football field, where Libertyville coach Mike Jones still sometimes confuses him with his older brother.

“We call him Chase quite often,” Jones said. “I’ll be like, ‘Darn it, I said it again.’ They have the same look.

“Because Chase played for us, I’ve known Caleb forever. We expected great things from him, and we’ve gotten what we expected.”

Jones and his coaching staff decided to elevate Caleb Baczek to the varsity team last season.

“We were hoping the moment wouldn’t be too big for him,” Jones said. “It wasn’t. He played so well in that first game. We decided to just leave him out there.”

Caleb Baczek aspires to play in college, just like each of his siblings and parents. With that in mind, he has tried to get faster. He said he has slashed his 40-yard dash time, once 5.1 seconds, to a breezy 4.88.

“Caleb definitely has increased his speed,” Jones said. “And he’s physical. He doesn’t shy away from contact.”

Baczek family members constantly support, challenge and celebrate each other. That was tested in May 2022, when Grace tore her right ACL. Her father suffered a similar injury in college.

“At that point, I was uncommitted to college,” Grace Baczek said. “Having the support from my dad, mom and brothers pushed me to get through it, and I still was able to commit to a top DI school.

“It’s a long recovery, and it can be really draining. They pushed me to go through with my goals.”

That overwhelming support is typical in the Baczek family, where love and sports go hand in hand.

“It’s one of the main ways we all connect with each other,” Caleb Baczek said. “We all have different personalities, but sports is what we agree on.”

Sam Brief is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.