Senior quarterback Dardan Nreci will never forget his first career start in conference for Reavis.
Last September, going up against powerhouse Richards in the South Suburban Red, Nreci felt the weight of the world bearing down against him. With that in mind, the nerves were overwhelming.
“I was totally scared,” he said. “I fumbled the first snap of the game because I was so terrified.
“It really messed us up. The rest of the season, I focused on calming myself down, breathing and just being able to think while playing the game.”
One year later, a different Dardan has arrived for the Rams.
Nreci threw a 14-yard touchdown pass Friday night and rushed for three other TDs for the host Rams in a 53-34 season-opening victory over De La Salle in Burbank.
The four TDs marked a personal best for Nreci, who completed 7 of 13 passes for 79 yards. He also rushed for 43 yards on six carries, with TD runs of 6, 1 and 5 yards.
The game marked the Reavis debut of Josh O’Shea, the former Tinley Park coach who spent the previous three years as an assistant for the Rams. The 53 points were the most scored by Reavis since a 62-26 win over Oak Lawn on Oct. 25, 2019.
“Dardan is fearless — a leader on the field,” O’Shea said. “He likes to take shots. He’s a fun player to coach because he wants to be in every situation. He’s what a quarterback is made of.
“He’s not afraid to fail. He’s going out there to make big plays and he makes quite a few of them.”
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Junior running back/receiver Ahmed Everette added two rushing TDs.
“We’re really close,” Everette said. “When I first came here as a freshman, he was the first person to really throw me the ball. He’s a great leader. He’s very loud. You need that in football.
“You need to be the one who’s in control. You don’t usually find a quarterback who can run and throw. He’s able to do both.”
Nreci showed toughness and poise dealing with the volatile and sometimes topsy-turvy nature of being a first-year starting quarterback. He directed the Rams (6-4) to Class 7A state playoff berth.
Now, the nerves and second-guessing are a relic of the past.
“I just felt like Friday was one of those games where everything worked really well,” he said. “The passes were there, and even when I couldn’t complete one, I either scrambled or made a play.
“I like staying in the pocket and making the deep throws, but I also like turning a sack into a first down.”
His biggest influence is Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams. The two share more than just a knack of making something out of nothing.
“We have the same birthday, Nov. 18,” Nreci said. “I once posted on Instagram a photo of myself wearing this outfit, and literally two hours later, he posted wearing basically the same outfit.
“I’m a Chicago guy, born and raised, and he’s definitely my motivator. I really like to extend plays like he does. One thing I worked on a lot this summer was learning how to throw under pressure.”
Of Albanian descent, Nreci’s first name derives from Dardania, an ancient Balkan republic that eventually gained its independence from Serbia.
He’s eager to show Friday’s game is the rule not the exception. And like Williams, he doesn’t lack confidence.
“I like to talk a lot,” he said. “I’m extroverted. I’ll be walking in downtown Chicago and tell someone I like the shoes they’re wearing. You lead by example and show everybody you’re also doing it.
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“That makes them want to follow you.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.