New head coach Brian Iossi, Burlington Central right on schedule

ST. CHARLES – Brian Iossi has been Burlington Central’s head football coach for less than a month, which sounds a little late in the game.

But the Rockets are right on schedule.

Iossi, an assistant for the past four seasons, the past three as offensive coordinator, was officially named the Rockets’ new head coach in mid-June. Before that, however, he was fulfilling many of the duties of a head coach with the help of a veteran staff after Brian Melvin resigned in January to take a position as associate head coach and director of football operations at Judson University in Elgin.

“It’s been a pretty smooth transition and our kids have handled the situation well,” Iossi said. “My staff, for the most part, was already together and my varsity staff and I have been with the program for the last four years. So it was kind of a natural slot into the position.”

After a few days of summer practice, Burlington Central was in action June 30 at the Fox Valley 7-on-7 at St. Charles North. The 7-on-7 format doesn’t necessarily play to the strengths of a power football team such as the Rockets, but they opened eyes by beating St. Charles North at the event.

“Incredibly proud of how they competed and got after it. That’s what we’re looking for,” Iossi said. “That was our biggest goal here was just to compete and put our guys in position to be successful.”

The Rockets, coming off a 3-6 finish and their third season in the Fox Valley Conference, have put a major emphasis on their offseason lifting program in order to be successful in such a rugged league. Iossi said he is starting to notice the fruits of that labor.

“A big thing we identified early on is we needed to get on the same page strength and size wise,” Iossi said. “When we walked out [at the Fox Valley 7-on-7] and looked around, I felt like we had really taken that next step with our size. That was a big thing with the coaching transition, was staying motivated and committed to the weight room. Those months without a head coach, they’ve remained committed, and that’s a testament to the seniors to keep everybody engaged with the program.”

This is Iossi’s first high school head coaching job, but he is no stranger to what it takes to compete in the FVC.

Before joining Melvin’s staff at Burlington Central four years ago, Iossi was on Hampshire’s staff with former coach Mike Brasile for four years.

“Our guys looked different than the other teams the last couple years. That was a big push for our guys was to match that,” Iossi said. “When you go to Cary-Grove or Prairie Ridge, you’re going to get a bunch of big linebacker-type bodies who are athletic and in shape. We’re starting to see that with our guys who have committed themselves this offseason.”

It helps to have experience up front, which Burlington Central has in spades.

The Rockets return their entire offensive line, led by three-year starters MJ Hansen, Nick Nuno and Jack Freeman. Same goes for the defensive front, where James Muetterties, Porter Mihelich and Vraj Shah all are back.

“This is my 14th season of coaching high school football and I don’t think I’ve ever returned an entire offensive line,” said Iossi, an offensive lineman himself in his playing days at Glenbard North, Illinois College and North Central. “Those guys took big steps at the end of last season.

“We’ve got a good mix of veteran linemen guys who have been around this program for a long time and some good young skill guys with some older skill guys that can step in and mentor our younger guys. That’s been great. A lot of good senior leadership.”