Ethan Igras paused and shook his head.
Perhaps being overly critical, Lowell’s junior quarterback expressed disapproval of his five interceptions.
“That’s pretty high,” Igras said. “I expected more out of myself. We don’t throw that much.”
No, the Red Devils don’t exactly chuck the ball all over the field. But they are passing more than they traditionally have, especially this season.
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As Lowell (13-0) prepares for its Class 4A semistate against Fort Wayne Bishop Dwenger (10-3) on Friday at Homestead, Igras has completed 64 of 122 passes for 1,225 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Expanding the offense has been a process for the Red Devils, with players such as Igras and seniors Jordan Jusevitch, an Indiana recruit, and Jaeger Gill.
“If you look at the evolution of our offense, it started about five years ago when we saw these guys coming,” Lowell coach Keith Kilmer said. “We started tinkering and the first time we lined up in shotgun, the whole Inferno gasped.
“It’s taken us this long to get decent at it. It’s a different mindset. But you want to use the talent you have the best you can. We can still run the ball and having the element of being able to throw the ball has made us more difficult to defend.”
Igras has been instrumental in that development.
He’s also second on the team in rushing to junior Tyler Wildman, with 532 yards and three TDs on 110 carries.
Igras last season completed 39 of 82 passes for 685 yards with nine TDs and three interceptions, and ran for 234 yards and five TDs on 33 carries.
But a single digit supersedes any of his individual statistics: One, as in the number of losses the Red Devils have suffered with him as their starting quarterback. Since taking over the position in Week 7 as a sophomore, Igras’ only defeat came in last season’s semistate to NorthWood, a last-minute heartbreaker.
“He’s pretty darn good,” Kilmer said. “He has that moxie. Is he a prototypical quarterback? I don’t know. But he has ‘it.’ He’s a gamer, a competitor.”
Igras challenged for the starting job from the outset last season and earned some reps. He became the Red Devils’ No. 1 against Morton when they were 2-4.
“We got to the point where what we wanted to do with our offense, he was better at it and we needed a spark,” Kilmer said. “It was able to open up our offense a little bit. We could use our skill on the outside, and he’s also able to make plays with his feet when things break down. It just brings another element to what we’re trying to do.”
Igras, who missed Lowell’s scrimmage against Merrillville and the season opener against Crown Point because of an unspecified violation of team rules, appreciates the responsibility of his role.
“The coaches trust me to make plays,” Igras said.
“We’re starting to open it up more. We have the athletes and now we’re starting to use them more and more.”
In last week’s regional win over New Prairie, Igras completed 6 of 14 passes for 182 yards, his second highest total of the season, and a TD. In the season’s second game, he debuted with 207 yards against Portage, completing 8 of 10 passes with three TDs.
Igras knows the type of difficulty Dwenger presents.
“They’re going to be big, physical, quick, so we’re preparing for that,” he said. “They’re going to bring it. They’re not afraid to leave it all on the field, and we’re going to do the same thing.”
Twitter @MichaelOsipoff