South Elgin’s Jack Ginnan didn’t go into the season opener with gigantic expectations.
But six touchdown passes later — and that’s not a misprint — the junior quarterback looked back on the first one of his career with a smile flashing across his face Friday night.
Wow. Just wow.
“I remember,” Ginnan said afterward, “throwing my first touchdown going, ‘This is one of many. Let’s get this party started.'”
Ginnan could have a future as a party planner if this is his idea of a party for the Storm.
He accounted for seven TDs in the first half of a 57-14 Upstate Eight Conference victory over West Chicago. He finished completing 12 of 15 passes for 189 yards.
“It’s pretty amazing to get out there, knowing that my boys had my back,” Ginnan said. “We practice it. We did it a million times in practice, but just going out there and doing that …
“The six touchdowns go on my stat sheet, but it was behind my offensive line and my receivers that made those plays possible for me.”
Initially, Ginnan didn’t expect to be the starter this season. Jake Sullivan, who would have been the returning starter as a senior, transferred to Marmion.
Nathan Downey, another quarterback, transferred to Wheaton Academy.
That left the job to Ginnan, who immediately went to work.
“I knew we just had two quarterbacks transfer and I was next in line,” Ginnan said. “I went and started training with a guy named Todd Jones.
“I never changed anything. I was coming in, working my butt off to get a starting job on defense, wherever they needed me.”
South Elgin coach Dragan Teonic saw all the work that Ginnan put in, making his performance Friday all the more satisfying.
“He’s really on point mentally, understanding where the ball needs to go and why we’re running what we’re running,” Teonic said. “He’s a great leader. The kids believe in him because the one thing that he possesses that we haven’t had in a while is sheer toughness.
“There’s a mentality behind him. Jack has really bought into this role.”
Ginnan has already established a new favorite target in junior tight end Ishmael George, who caught Ginnan’s first TD and didn’t stop there. He wound up with five receptions for 70 yards and three TDs.
“It was just a different feeling, especially not getting the ball last season,” George said. “And then the environment, it got me really fired up. It boosted my confidence.”
Ginnan said the fact he’s close friends with George off the field helps with their chemistry.
“That connection has always been there,” Ginnan said.
Nico Barkho added a pair of receiving TDs and a rushing TD, totaling 111 yards on four touches.
Teonic said six TDs might not be the norm for Ginnan and the passing game, but that particular night called for that kind of production.
“There are going to be games where we have to run the ball well,” Teonic said. “We’ll structure it based on what the defense does.
“(Ginnan) excels in understanding why we’re doing it. He’s not just throwing it to throw it. ‘Oh, it’s on the call sheet, that’s the next play call.’ It’s based on the structure of what the defense is doing.”
With his varsity debut in the books, Ginnan is looking forward to Friday and seeing what comes next. The Storm (1-0, 1-0) face Glenbard East (1-0, 1-0) with a 25-game conference win streak on the line.
“There’s always room for growth, especially with Glenbard East coming up,” Ginnan said. “Nothing will be easy. We still have things to work on, but overall, I think we played pretty well as a team.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
