It’s his time now.

Rudy Griffing and Aurora Christian have a long history, so it should come as no surprise he’s stepping up and taking on the role of one of the football program’s headliners this year.

A 6-foot-2, 225-pound senior who starts at center and linebacker, Griffing had 15 tackles with one sack last week in a back-and-forth 40-28 victory at Marian Central Catholic.

“Rudy’s been around the program his whole life,” Aurora Christian coach David Beebe said. “He was coming here when he was in a car seat.”

Griffing has two older brothers — Dean and Kurt — who played for the Eagles. They graduated from the school in 2010 and 2013, respectively.

His dad, Chris, is the team’s defensive line coach this season and has assisted in a number of roles since 2006, when Dean was a freshman.

“There’s a bit of an age gap,” Rudy said. “I was a ball boy and went to those state championship games (2011 and 2012). There’s actually a picture in the cafeteria of us holding up the trophy. and you can see me in the background. It was a lot of fun.”

And there’s more fun to come.

Griffing added a blocked punt and fumble recovery on a kickoff during Friday’s Chicagoland Christian Conference in Woodstock that started with the Eagles taking a 21-0 halftime lead.

Clemson tight end recruit Christian Bentancur and the Hurricanes, though, rallied to take a 22-21 lead.

“We held him to 40 yards in the first half, which was really good,” Griffing said of Bentancur. “In the second half, he opened up and got up to like 200 yards receiving.”

The 6-5, 240-pound Bentancur is definitely a force.

“I don’t know if we’ve ever played a better player,” Beebe said. “They center the offense around him, and rightfully so. He’s a special player.”

The Eagles answered, however, pulling out the win.

Chris Griffing said his wife Nancy, a swimmer, is probably the best athlete in the family but football is in the family’s bloodline.

Rudy’s grandfather, Dean, played center and linebacker for Kansas State in college before playing professionally in the NFL and CFL. He was the first general manager for Denver in 1960 when the Broncos played in the American Football League.

Rudy Griffing made Aurora Christian’s varsity as a sophomore, starting at center. He opened his junior season as a two-way starter but suffered a broken ankle in the second game.

Now, he’s making up for the lost time.

Griffing has 74 tackles with eight for loss, including 2 1/2 sacks and a forced fumble.

Last week’s win gives Aurora Christian (6-1, 5-0) a one-game lead over Chicago Hope and Wheaton Academy, who the Eagles host Friday night.

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“My strength is definitely playing the run, defending people hard,” Griffing said. “I need to improve on my pass coverage and just shedding blocks.

“I get stuck up some times but usually I’m able to fight off and make plays when I need to.”

Griffing has NCAA Division III roster spot offers from Rose-Hulman — where older brother Dean was an All-American and team MVP senior year as a defensive tackle — Aurora University and Central College in Pella, Iowa.

Beebe said Griffing has shown marked improvement this season with his speed.

“He’s always been aggressive and very good in small spaces, so if there was a mosh pit of people, he was going to make the tackle,” Beebe said. “This year he’s getting there earlier.

“We’ve had players play those two positions before. Usually your center has to be your smartest lineman, and usually your ‘Mike’ (middle linebacker) is making a lot of calls. Rudy is very smart and he’s football smart.”

It obviously runs in the family.