Jaylen Torres has always been someone looking for a challenge.

It’s something the St. Francis senior has done for as long as he can remember, from playing up a grade level in football during his childhood to hitting the wrestling mats with bigger people.

And in his senior season, the 6-foot, 300-pound lineman had to face one again, going back to the offensive line after initially entering the season focused on playing on defense.

But was he worried about being on the field for every play?

“Sometimes I’d get a little tired, but I would always push through it,” Torres said. “I just knew in my head that this was my last year. And in two years, if I didn’t, I’d look back and say ‘Why wasn’t I trying so hard?’ So I knew I had to give it my all.”

His all proved to be plenty, and then even more.

Torres, an Aurora native and Lindenwood commit, put up eye-popping numbers on both sides of the ball. He finished with 114 tackles, 29 for loss and 10.5 sacks on defense, and added 64 pancake blocks for an offense that recorded over 5,000 yards of offense.

Along with earning Class 5A All-State honors for the second straight season, he also played a crucial part in the Spartans winning the Class 5A state title, just their second boys state title in school history.

Considering the accolades, Torres has been named the 2025 Kane County Chronicle Player of the Year.

“Just to watch his growth in his leadership over these last four years have been amazing this year,” Spartans coach Bob McMillen said. “Especially when you have a kid walking up to you and just telling the coaches that he’s willing to play anywhere for us. It just shows the type of maturity that he has as a player, and his play on the field is also second to none.”

While the defensive play certainly played a factor in the team’s success, it was the play on the offensive line that proved vital come playoff time. It all came to a head in the Class 5A state title game, where the Spartans rushed for five touchdowns in a 39-35 victory over Providence.

“I got on the offensive side of the ball again to initially help the run game out,” said Torres, who spent most of his junior season playing on the offensive line. “Once that run game really opened up, it really helped us throughout the playoffs.”

The state title was the program’s first in football since 2008. And for Torres, it finally came after the four-year starter had suffered three straight losses in the state semifinals in the years before.

“It’s just the story of what St. Francis is about, it’s about the process,” McMillen said. “We were able to go out there and mold a young kid when he walked in here four years ago into a dominant football player. And that’s just a testament of our coaches and his determination to do what he needed to do in the offseason and on the football field to have success.

“When you got a guy that trusts in the process and does everything he can to get ready and prepared for the season, you’re going to have success.”

Despite his smaller 6-foot frame, Torres used his background as a wrestler to his advantage on both sides of the ball.

“The wrestling helped a lot on both sides with the leverage, because that’s really what the line is, the lower man wins all that,” Torres said. “So that really helped in general. And then it also really helped with my hands, because we hand fight a lot in wrestling and it just helps my hands be fast and strong.”

A two-time all-stater in the winter, Torres’ prowess showed most when dealing with double teams on either side of the line.

“He was gaining two and three guys blocking him and opening up things for our linebackers and other defensive linemen, but still able to make plays,” McMillen said. “He really showed all of the younger guys, no matter what position, that if you give it your all, then you’re going to have success.”

After finishing wrestling season, Torres will head to St. Charles, Missouri, to start his college football career with Lindenwood.

“I’m probably going to miss that last home game we had,” Torres said. “Walking out with the band playing us out as a team.”

McMillen knows that the Lions are getting a steal of a commit.

“There’s no one else that deserves the honor more than Jaylen,” McMillen said. “He was the epitome of doing everything you can to win a football game. And if he was three or four inches taller, he’d have every school in the country coming after him because of how dominant he is.”