AURORA – Marmion senior two-way lineman Luke Juriga speaks succinctly when discussing the similarities between his two primary spots on the football field.

“You want to put down the guy on the other side of the line,” he said.

Juriga means to physically subdue an opponent, not to levy an insult. Of course he does. If his accomplishments as a two-year Cadets right guard and defensive tackle speak for themselves, it largely is because Juriga is reluctant to.

“Luke is old-school football like his father,” Cadets coach Dan Thorpe said. “A man of few words. He doesn’t say much, and we’ve been on him as a leader, he has to talk more. … But he’s physical, he plays with great hustle. He does have juke pass moves, which is impressive for a kid 6-(foot)-4, 270 (pounds). His long snaps are tremendous, fast, back to the punter and the holder, and then he’s the first one down in punt coverage.”

Juriga, of St. Charles, comes from proud football stock.

His father, Jim, started 42 regular-season games as a Denver Broncos offensive lineman from 1988 to 1990, and helped protect John Elway from the San Francisco 49ers as Denver’s left guard in Super Bowl XXIV. His older brother, Jake, a St. Charles North product, went on to a collegiate career as a Navy linebacker.

Apparently, “mum” was the word as early as when Luke Juriga was growing up. The recent Western Michigan commit since has taken to picking his dad’s brain – hard not to when he’s a Cadets assistant – but that wasn’t as prevalent years ago.

“Not as much as people think I would,” Juriga said. “I never asked him questions because I was kind of scared to ask him questions. I was kind of scared of him. He would never really want to talk about it that much. … I think I talk about it more now because I like relating to what he did when he played.”

There’s hardly anything reluctant about Juriga’s style these days. In Week 3, referees flagged him for unnecessary roughness after waiting to pancake a St. Francis counterpart after he already had driven him 15 yards downfield.

The Cadets would relish that kind of push during tonight’s Chicago Catholic Green showdown at Montini, as it would create open space for running back Jordan Glasgow and fullback Lucas Warren.

Juriga’s solid play on Marmion’s defensive front in last week’s 56-0 shutout at Aurora Christian proved equally beneficial.

“As a safety, if our linebackers and tackles are doing well, I don’t have to do anything,” said Glasgow, who doubles as a defensive back. “So, like ACS, since they played so well, I just stood around in the back a lot of the time. I was feeling pretty good, I guess.”

Juriga channeled his brevity again when asked about his college choice. He also considered Air Force, Illinois and Northern Illinois, but opted for Western Michigan, which is coached by former Kaneland standout P.J. Fleck.

“Just wanting to make a decision, and I liked them the best,” Juriga said.

Accustomed to playing both ways since his developmental days – “I always played on smaller teams and I was one of the bigger players,” he said – Juriga said his soon-to-be college coaches had him slotted for offensive guard and long snapper.

Juriga learned the latter as a family football rite of passage. His dad taught his brother, who in turn taught him.

Juriga’s mother, Denise, and older sister, Kim, both have NCAA Division I volleyball experience. With no other siblings left to influence, Juriga takes silent pride in stirring his teammates.

“Great effort, great motor, great work ethic in the weight room,” Thorpe said. “We’re very fortunate to have him in our program, and he does inspire other kids because of his work ethic.”