When the postgame topic turned to senior quarterback Dermot Smyth, Marist receivers John Nestor and Mike Donegan suddenly became emotional Saturday afternoon.
Nestor, who also plays defensive back, and fellow senior Donegan were speaking moments after the RedHawks suffered an emotional loss in double overtime, but that wasn’t it.
This was their last game with the Evergreen Park resident.
“That’s my guy,” Nestor said of Smyth. “He gave us everything. He’ll go down in history as being one of the best quarterbacks to play here. He’s a dog.”
“He’s the hardest worker, and he pushed me so much,” said Donegan, his voice cracking. “I thank him for everything. I’m going to miss him a lot.”
Smyth did a lot in the second round of the Class 8A playoffs, throwing for 147 yards and two touchdowns and running 76 yards and another TD in 18th-seeded Marist’s 27-21 loss to second-seeded York in Chicago.
Afterward, Smyth said he appreciated his teammates’ compliments.
“This is a family and it’s a brotherhood,” he said. “Everyone is so close together. We all love each other. It’s not about me. It’s about the brotherhood we have.”
Smyth was a huge factor during two regulation scoring drives for Marist (7-4).
Late in the first half, Smyth helped account for 73 yards on an 80-yard drive that was capped by a 14-yard TD pass to Donegan.
Smyth also passed or ran for all 72 yards during the tying drive with 4:36 left in regulation by hitting Nestor. He added a 3-yard TD run to knot up the first OT.
Last season, Smyth bided his time, playing wide receiver while Coastal Carolina recruit Dontrell Jackson was the RedHawks’ quarterback. This year, Smyth got to run the show.
“He’s done what we’ve asked of him,” Marist coach Ron Dawczak said of Smyth. “We took advantage of his athleticism because he’s a great football player. We knew he was a really talented quarterback, so what he did this year as a senior was not a surprise to any one of the coaches or his teammates.
“It was his team-first attitude that he took as a junior and parlayed it into having a great senior season.”
York (11-0), which moves on play Palatine (10-1) in the next week’s quarterfinals, was one of four undefeated teams in the second round after outscoring opponents 367-76.
Yet, the Dukes had to sweat this one out.
In the second OT, the RedHawks came up one yard short of scoring on a fake field-goal attempt. The Dukes then struck on the very next play as quarterback Matt Vezza ran 10 yards for the TD. Vezza finished with 132 yards rushing.
Senior defensive lineman Jamel Howard, a Wisconsin recruit, didn’t point fingers at anybody but himself.
“I’ll take that last play on the chin — it was my fault,” Howard said. “I had a reach block and I pressed it up, and he cut right up. You’re going to have to take those.
“If you’re a good player, you are going to have misses.”
Nestor, an Iowa recruit, finished with eight catches for 82 yards. Donegan, who recently made a visit to Dayton, added five catches for 44 yards.
While his receivers are getting college looks, the 5-foot-10, 175-pound Smyth is in limbo regarding the next level.
“I’m hearing a little bit from the few people, but I’ll work on it when the season is over,” Smyth said. “But I do want to keep playing football.”
“We’ll see what happens in the next couple of weeks,” Dawczak said. “He definitely can play at the next level, that’s for sure.”
Jeff Vorva is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.