A baptism by fire on the varsity likely isn’t the best way to be indoctrinated into playing quarterback.
But Benet’s Colin Gillespie will be better off for what transpired in Week 5 last September when the sophomore stepped in after Matt Boyle’s thumb injury.
For the second straight season, the Redwings were on the brink of the Class 7A state championship game.
So for Benet, it means the 2018 season again is all about striving to take that one, final step.
“I think we still have the same goal in mind,” Gillespie said. “We want to get to that last game. We’ve been close the last two years, but then really haven’t been able to push to the last game. So we still want to get there this year, too.”
Gillespie went 6-2 as a starter and showed an ability to be a dual threat in throwing for seven touchdowns and also running for seven TDs.
Senior running back Ben Hickey returns after rushing for 560 yards and five TDs on 120 carries.
Receivers Andrew Eschenbach, Luke Sznajder, Jack Cooney and 6-foot-5 Niko Kasprzycki all figure to help the 6-1, 185-pound Gillespie improve on his 992 passing yards from last season.
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“I’ve felt like I’ve gotten a lot stronger,” Gillespie said. “I’ve put on about 20 pounds. I’ve been throwing a lot, too. So this year I think it’s really going to slow down for me.
“I kind of got thrown in there last year. So now that I have that experience, I’ll do a lot better this year, too.”
Benet coach Pat New believes the defensive line led by Jack Benish, junior Jacob Snell and Jackson Stephens could be the best one he’s had.
Benish (97 tackles), linebacker Mike Wymer (91 tackles) and safety Cooney (90 tackles) are the top three returning players on a defense that should be solid.
“Our defensive line is bound to be very good this year,” Benish said. “We have great guys — Jacob Snell, Jackson Stephens, Danny O’Meara — and we also have backups who will be really good for us. I feel like we’ll be a threat on the line.”
The consecutive 7A state semifinal losses to East St. Louis and Batavia respectively, has left an imprint on the program. Collectively, the hope is it will turn out to be a positive one.
“It’s a really big motivating factor,” Wymer said. “We have a chip on our shoulder. It’s the second year in a row that we’ve lost in the semis to the state-winning team. … So we’re up there with the best teams in Illinois.
“We just have to get over that last obstacle, and I know we can do it. We’ve all had it in the back of our minds — practice and even just daily life.”
Blake Baumgartner is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.