Nearly 12 hours after leading Hinsdale South to a victory in the Class 6A state quarterfinals on Saturday, Nov. 14, Sean McCormack planned to be back on the field for his weekly training session.
It’s another example of the commitment and dedication that has made McCormack a record-setting quarterback this season for the Hornets.
McCormack has rewritten the record book at Hinsdale South in just his first season as starter and added another page by becoming the school’s career passing leader in the 13th-seeded Hornets’ stunning 42-35 upset over top-seeded and previously undefeated Lincoln-Way North.
The Hornets won in Frankfort behind McCormack’s 301 passing yards and four touchdowns to close the book on the Phoenix (11-1). The school is closing at the end of the school year.
Hinsdale South (9-3) will host sixth-seeded Crete-Monee (10-2) in the semifinals at 6 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 21. It will be Hinsdale South’s first trip to the semifinals since finishing second in Class 5A in 1980.
Every Sunday from 9 to 11 a.m., McCormack meets with quarterback instructor Jeff Christensen, who runs the Throw It Deep Passing Academy. McCormack’s triplet brother, Connor, one of Hinsdale South’s starting wide receivers, also attends the weekly training session at Hinsdale South’s practice field behind the school.
While the other Hornets’ receivers attend church, the workouts usually just include the McCormack brothers and Christensen.
Sean McCormack said Christensen goes over footwork drills as the brothers work on their pass routes and timing.
More Top Picks Best Outdoor Saunas
The 6-foot-5, 195-pound Sean McCormack was a backup last season who rarely played behind current Notre Dame walk-on Rob Regan. On Saturday, he needed 280 yards to become the school’s career passing leader and had 225 yards by halftime. His favorite target was senior Ravon Johnson, who caught nine passes for 209 yards and three touchdowns.
Senior running back Marcus Curry contributed 25 carries for 164 yards and one TD, to give the Phoenix defense a two-faceted challenge.
“I knew coming into the season that running the offense we could click at all levels,” Sean McCormack said.
Summer 7-on-7 sessions helped Sean McCormack develop chemistry with receivers such as his brother Connor, Johnson, Jevais Harris and Hall, who had a 38-yard TD reception to cap the opening drive. Johnson had TD catches of 80 and 44 yards in the first half and 30 yards in the third quarter.
“I know where he’ll be,” Sean McCormack said of Johnson. “I just put it up and he’ll go get it.”
A new wrinkle against Lincoln-Way North was McCormack’s running. He rushed 14 times for 29 yards and scored on a 2-yard keeper to put Hinsdale South ahead 35-14 to end the third quarter. McCormack entered the game with 59 yards rushing the entire season.
“Running the option, you have the dive, a quarterback run and the pitch,” Hornets coach Mike Barry said. “You can take away some of it. They decided on the dive and the pitch, which allowed Sean to be able to run.”
With another week of football, McCormack will have an opportunity to extend his passing records in several categories, such as TD passes in a season, passing yards in a season and career TD passes.
“We’ve been playing together for so long, this has been building up since (we were sophomores),” Johnson said.
Twitter @geomwilcox
Class 6A semifinals
Matchup: Sixth-seeded Crete-Monee (10-2) at 13th-seeded Hinsdale South (9-3), 6 p.m. Saturday
How they got there: The Warriors are one win away from returning to the state championship after winning the 2012 Class 6A title. Crete-Monee beat previously undefeated Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin 38-35 in the quarterfinals. Hinsdale South also beat an undefeated team, 42-35 at Lincoln-Way North. The Hornets beat the No. 1 seed and Crete-Monee beat the No. 2 seed in the bottom half of the bracket.
Hinsdale South stat leaders
QB: Sr. Sean McCormack, 161-255, 63.1 percent, 2,810 Yds, 33 TDs, 9 Int
RB: Sr. Marcus Curry, 201 Att, 1,202 Yds, 15 TDs
WR: Sr. Ravon Johnson, 42 Rec, 913 Yds, 16 TDs
WR: Sr. Robert Hall, 50 Rec, 744 Yds, 9 TDs
WR: Sr. Connor McCormack, 35 Rec, 605 Yds, 3 TDs
Telling number: 234.2 — Sean McCormack’s yards passing per game this season. That average would place McCormack fourth in the Big Ten among quarterbacks, just ahead of Illinois’ Wes Lunt (224.1).
Behind the numbers: Curry has been a workhorse for the Hornets, rushing for over 100 yards for the fourth time this season. He also carried the ball 25 times against L-W North, well above his pace of 18 carries per game. He is averaging 109.3 yards per game.
Under the radar player to watch: With so many offensive weapons, senior kicker Marko Ristic can be overlooked. He has made 59-of-61 PATs this season and is 7-of-7 on field goals, with a long of 33 yards on the season. As a punter, he’s averaging 34.0 yards.
More Top Picks Best Tens Units For Migraines
Sound bite: “Crete is a very athletic team that likes to get the ball in space to their talented players. They run a spread offense and are multiple on defense, but will mainly run a four front with man coverage.” — Hinsdale South coach Mike Barry