Next level dedication: Division 1-bound Warren Schweitzer one of many athletes befitting from training time with Rock Valley Physical Therapy's Jonathan Staab

There are intangibles, a tape measure, and a stopwatch cannot see. 

They cannot assess the positives – a desire-filled heart, an amazing support system at home and in school – tremendous teammates or a program and a coach that has stood with you every step of your athletic journey. 

They cannot measure your ability to be a great teammate or the impact a gifted physical therapist has on the community he serves. 

The obvious is Rochelle (Illinois) High School football standout Warren Schweitzer stands 6-feet-7, weighs 240-pounds, can block, catch, is an honor student and is part of a tradition-rich football program. A senior, Schweitzer is also a dual-sport athlete (basketball), a bonus in the eyes of any college recruiter. 

However, the aforementioned measuring sticks cannot see the time, effort, and extra work an athlete like Schweitzer has put in to get where he is, on the cusp of playing college football at an elite level. 

Those tools, however, have shown the work Rock Valley Physical Therapy’s Jonathan Staab, PT, DPT, BFR, TSAC-F, Clinic Manager/Rochelle, has done to help Schweitzer – and many other-sport athletes in Rochelle – to improve on the things next-level decisionmakers can see. To a point where those measuring tools – the stop watches and the tape measures of this world – work in their favor. 

For Schweitzer, an amazing young person, a plethora of offers from Division I FCS schools including Western Illinois, Eastern Illinois, Lindenwood University (Missouri), and the University of Albany (New York), shows he and Staab have found success together. In just the past week, Schweitzer's dedication was rewarded with a scholarship offer to play football (FBS Division I and college football's highest level) at the United States Military Academy West Point. 

Saying the next football-related phase for the modest, hard-working Schweitzer is beyond bright, would be an understatement. 

“It (training with Staab) has made me a better athlete and raised my level of confidence,’’ said Schweitzer, whose Rochelle Hubs football team recently qualified for the 2026 Illinois High School Athletic Association Class 4A playoffs. The Hubs were a 4A quarterfinalist in 2024. 

“My agility and my overall speed have improved in a big way as well,’’ added Schweitzer. “I have great respect for Jonathan and get something out of each time we work together. When I started, I wasn't exactly very agile, but since working with Jonathan I have become more agile and I move much better, all helping me compete. I also have learned to understand some things about my body and how to use it.’’ 

The driving force behind Rock Valley Physical setting down clinic roots in Rochelle, Staab – in 2024 – hit the ground running in what is an amazing community of approximately 9,400. A high school basketball standout at Geneseo (Illinois) High School in his playing days, Staab, a dedicated, knowledgeable and compassionate therapist, has ingrained himself deeply into the community, playing – daily – a positive role in bettering the lives of those in and around Rochelle. 

This includes his work with a group of athletes he trains, to which Warren Schweitzer – and his younger brother Eli (a 6-5 junior) – have been constants. Two days a week – after his day at Rock Valley-Rochelle ends –Staab trains several local athletes looking to take that next step. In warm weather, the athletes will work in a park setting and take their work inside when the weather changes. 

“It begins with a baseline testing on day one,’’ said Staab, who spent time enhancing his practice this past summer with the Chicago Bulls and the University of Illinois’ training staffs, respectively. “We will work a broad jump, a triple leg hop, an L-drill and then a shuttle drill just to see where we are. We spend a lot of time on balance and change of direction work and speed and agility. After six-to-eight weeks, we re-test and see where we stand. With Warren, it hasn’t been a great deal of emphasis on strength, more how to use his body – his tremendous size – and his agility to best serve him.’’ 

Staab says Warren and Eli Schweitzer were not his first Rochelle-based athletes to see the benefit of extra training with him but were close. 

The first athlete Staab assisted was star football player Dylan Manning. From there, Amy Schweitzer, Warren and Eli’s mother and a star volleyball player in her day – and a teacher and department head at Rochelle High School – asked if her boys could fall under Staab’s training umbrella. 

“Big, big fan of their mom,’’ Staab said of Amy Schweitzer. “She is the best. And Warren and his brother are farm kids, and they are great kids, but they also know what it’s like to work hard. Their mom understands – from her background – the commitment it takes to get to the next level. She gets it, and that is a bonus for her boys.’’ 

When Staab and Warren Schweizer began working together, Warren Schweitzer – already well over 6 feet in height and through no fault of anyone – says there were some “gangly’’ moments. 

But his time with Staab – and a concentrated effort when it comes to balance, speed, and agility – has made a world of difference in those things that can be measured. 

“It has translated to the field,’’ Schweitzer said of his time with Staab. “Good balance helps with movement, while the speed and agility part continues to play a role. I’m not the same person I was when I began with Jonathan, and that’s been huge. He knows what he is talking about, listens to our concerns, and always has a plan. Plus, he’s great to be around. I have benefitted greatly from our work together.’’ 

As big a fan that Schweitzer is of Staab, Staab is equally impressed with Warren Schweitzer, his brother, Eli, and the Schweitzer family. 

“Warren is one of the OGs with our training group,’’ Staab said. “He bought in 100 percent from the beginning and then multiple people saw the benefit and joined in. He didn’t have to; he didn’t know me from a hole-in-the-wall. 

“He and Eli are tireless workers and amazing young people. So, they will have a program of what they need to work on that day – legs, upper body, shoulders, etc. – for strength and conditioning at school. Then they will work with me regarding speed, agility, and balance – not so much strength – and then later that evening – at home – go through more training on their own. And that’s OK as long as there is no pain when training. They take it very seriously. Again, they are farm boys, and that work ethic has trickled down. Warren and his brother work more than any other young person I have worked with.’’ 

There are two paths where Warren Schweitzer can go football-wise at the next level. He can continue to play tight end or move inside to one of the tackle spots, put his hand in the ground and grow from there. 

Both will require weight gain, which Schweizer knows stands before him. Rochelle’s successful offense is run oriented, so Schweitzer has a tremendous run-blocking skill set but also has hands good enough to catch the football at the next level. 

“We will see what happens,’’ Schweitzer says. “I guess it depends on where I end up. Whatever happens, I have been fortunate to have had Jonathan play an important role in my development. I cannot thank him enough for all he has done. I know there is so much more to do, but he’s been a great to work with.’’ 

For Staab, getting to work with athletes from all sports – and keeping them from leaving Rochelle for training – is a bonus. It is something he enjoys and will continue to do. 

“I have enjoyed coming in contact with athletes locally whether it’s with a football player, basketball, swimmers or whatever,’’ he said. “If you plan to go on and play collegiately, that’s the one thing they look at – whether or not you are a good athlete. Plus, athletes can get something here and do not have to go out of town for this kind of training. They can get it locally and that part is important to me.’’ 

By: Johnny Marx, Rock Valley Storyteller