Nashville Hornets football star ‘took his lumps’ before becoming player of the year
For Nashville senior Justin Aulds, the journey to becoming one of the top defensive players in the metro-east wasn’t easy. In fact, it was darn-right difficult at times.
In 2017, both Aulds and the rest of the sophomore-dominated Hornets finished 4-5 and out of the IHSA playoffs. But things were about to get better quickly.
“Justin took his lumps as a sophomore because of his age and size, and our overall roster was just not setup to compete at a high level that year. However, he, along with the rest of his teammates, really attacked the weight room after that season to better prepare themselves physically and it really paid off,” Nashville coach Stephen Kozuszek said.
Bigger, faster and stronger, that “great kid” has been the leader of a Nashville defensive unit that helped the Hornets win 20-of-24 games, earn back-to-back playoff berths and, this season, get the Hornets to the Class 2A championship game.
Nashville (12-2) lost to Sterling Newman 35-14 in November.
“I think we exceeded my expectations this season,” Aulds said. “We had a very good team last year, but we graduated a lot of our bigger linemen and I wasn’t sure how we would offset that. But we had some people step up and really make us a better football team. Our passing attack was very good and we were able to have a balanced attack.”
After finishing 8-2 in 2018, the Hornets were among the top Class 2A teams in the state throughout the 2019 season. Led by a balanced offense and tough defense, Nashville advanced to the state championship game for the second time in school history and first since placing second in Class 3A in 1998.
And it was Aulds, along with twin brother Jackson Aulds, who led a Hornets defense that posted two shutouts and limited six of its opponents to 14 points or less.
The Belleville News-Democrat Small School (Class 1A-4A) Defensive Player of the Year, the 6-foot, 189-pound Aulds finished his senior season with 144 tackles and 3 1/2 sacks.
“Honestly, my goal coming into the season was just to be the best player and teammate that I could be,” Aulds said. “I just tried to help the other players on the team learn their positions because we had to move some people around.
“We really wanted to win the (River-to-River) conference title. We lost to DuQuoin (41-36) in a game where they just played a better game than we did. Or at least a better first half.”
Instincts play key role for Nashville Hornets star
Aulds benefited by having a huge 6-1, 340-pound defensive tackle, Joe Wacker, in front of him. With Wacker using his strength and power up front, it made it much easier for the athletic Hornets senior to create havoc in the opponents backfield.
But for Kozuszek it was Auds’ ability to adjust and read different scenarios which made him have such an outstanding senior season. Aulds finished his career with 257 total tackles, 18 tackles for loss and five sacks.
“Justin’s best asset is his instincts. He is able to read and react in a split second, plays downhill, and is a very sure handed tackler,” Kozuszek said. “These three things help make up for whatever he might lack in the size and speed department. He understands pursuit angles and has an endless motor which allowed him to play sideline to sideline.’’
The Aulds brothers are unsure if they will be playing college football. They are planning on attending Arizona State University.
“We’re super close and we’re also very competitive with each other, in everything,” Aulds said about his twin brother. “But we’re best friends for life. We went to Arizona State on break last year and we really liked it. For one thing it’s really warm. We’ve talked about maybe trying out as walk-ons with the football program if we go.
“If we do, there is a good chance the family might relocate out there with us. It will also be better for my career out there plan on majoring in business and hope to go into finance. I’ve always loved money.”
This story was originally published February 11, 2020 at 5:00 AM.
