Nick Leongas grew up watching standout Maine South quarterbacks Charlie Goro, Tyler Benz and Matt Alviti, and hoped to one day follow in their footsteps.
That day arrived on Friday, Aug. 26, when the senior signal-caller got his first career start in Maine South’s season opener against Montini. The 5-foot-10, 188-pounder had an evening to remember.
Leongas was 15-for-25 for 215 yards and 3 touchdowns, adding 13 carries for 63 yards and a score, leading the Hawks (1-0) to an attention-grabbing 44-13 win over the defending Class 6A state champions in Park Ridge.
“Ever since I was a little kid, I was back there in the back of the end zone, watching, wishing I would become the Maine South quarterback,” Leongas said after the game. “At first, it was all a dream. Right now, this feels like a dream. It’s the greatest feeling in the world.”
The evening started like a bad dream for Leongas, who fumbled on his first carry of the game. Montini defensive back Brendan Rauen picked the ball up and returned it for a 60-yard touchdown, giving the Broncos a quick 7-0 advantage.
Leongas shook off the miscue and promptly led Maine South on a 12-play, 80-yard scoring drive that culminated in a 35-yard touchdown pass to senior Luke Hinkamp.
“I just threw (the memory of the fumble) out,” Leongas said. “My teammates and coaches picked me up. Everyone had my back and I just knew we were going to succeed no matter what.”
Maine South coach David Inserra said he was impressed by the way Leongas bounced back after a mistake that could have shattered another quarterback’s confidence. Inserra added that he first saw Leongas’ talent as a third or fourth-grader playing flag football.
“(Leongas) responded well (to the fumble),” Inserra said. “That was his first series, first carry, and it turns into six points the other way. But he was poised. We’ve always seen that.”
Fotis Kokosioulis, the Hawks’ explosive running back, tallied 19 carries for 204 yards and two touchdowns. The junior exploited the space created by Leongas’ early success in the air.
“He stepped up big time,” Kokosioulis said of Leongas. “Even though he doesn’t have that much experience, he stepped up. It looked like he’d been playing forever.”
Leongas spent much of last season as the backup quarterback to three-year starter Brian Collis, also seeing limited time at running back and wide receiver. His junior campaign was interrupted by a broken jaw suffered in Week 2 against Loyola, which forced him to miss four games.
Though Leongas has taken over for Collis, who has moved on to the University of Chicago, Inserra said his 2016 starter’s dual-threat ability makes him stylistically more like Goro, who led the Hawks to the 2008 state title, and Alviti, who guided the team to a 2010 crown.
Inserra said he entered Week 1 confident Leongas and Kokosioulis would be a dangerous one-two ground combination. He also thought Leongas was a talented passer, and one first-quarter play convinced him the senior could make all the necessary throws.
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With 38 seconds left in the first quarter, Leongas rolled to his right and threw back to the left side of the end zone, where junior receiver Cam Stacy made a 15-yard grab for a score.
“That’s a designed play,” Inserra said. “Nick rolled, stopped, threw, and did everything he had to do and threw a perfect pass. That play showed me, boy, they are going to have to defend that pass, too. It’s not just our two guys running.”
Leongas certainly won his share of admirers on the night, including Montini head coach Chris Andriano.
“Their quarterback was the difference,” he said. “He played great. We couldn’t’ stop him, his passing was extremely accurate and he’s a very good athlete and we couldn’t stop his running game.”
Dan Shalin is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
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