Highland’s Aaron McCormack was bound to cool off Friday night, since his opening couldn’t have been much hotter.
But all in all, the 6-foot-3, 175-pound sophomore’s first start at quarterback went rather well.
“I was a little nervous at first, but once I settled in, after my first throw to my tight end, I just felt good,” McCormack said. “I had a good confidence boost, and everything felt easy for me.
“I had great time in the pocket to do whatever I wanted. I got time to get the ball out to my receivers, and I’m happy to have those receivers.”
McCormack threw for 153 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another TD as the visiting Trojans defeated Whiting 28-13.
McCormack, whose father, James, is Highland’s offensive coordinator, completed his first three passes of the game, including a 64-yard TD to sophomore tight end Connor Harrington on his first attempt. After a 21-yard completion to junior wide receiver Justin Slaven, McCormack added a 35-yard TD pass to sophomore wide receiver Nathan Phillips.
One week earlier, in the Trojans’ season-opening loss to Griffith, McCormack completed 2 of 8 passes for 21 yards in relief of junior quarterback Jake Slaven, who suffered an injured shoulder.
Slaven could return for the Trojans (1-1) as early as their Northwest Crossroads Conference opener against Hanover Central on Sept 5. But McCormack, who also plays baseball, showed against the Oilers (0-2) that he can fill in admirably, completing 6 of 17 passes and closing Highland’s scoring with a 12-yard TD run.
Twins Jake and Justin Slaven are making a similar impact at Highland. ‘It says a lot about them.’
“Aaron came in and did a great job finishing out the game last week, and he did a great job all through this week,” Highland coach Ben Geffert said. “It just continued with him doing a great job (Friday night).
“(Quarterbacks) coach (Carson) Crowe and coach McCormack do a great job coaching him up. Even Jake from the sidelines was making sure his head was right. He’s calm, cool and collected all the time. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Aaron rattled. That’s just his personality, and it translates well to the field. He did an outstanding job leading the huddle, commanding where people should be. I’m extremely proud of him.”
Highland sophomore running back Landen Garrison, who rushed for 81 yards and a 1-yard TD, also liked McCormack’s performance.
“It was great,” Garrison said. “He came out with a passing touchdown and just went from there. I’m proud of him.”
Highland, in Geffert’s second season at the helm, notched its first victory since defeating Whiting in Week 2 last season. Sophomores accounted for all four of the Trojans’ TDs.
“The kids have earned it,” Geffert said. “The youth we have handled a lot of adversity we had really well. They showed maturity. They had a lot of opportunities to hang their heads, and they didn’t. They kept fighting and moving forward regardless of what was in front of them.”
Senior running back Demetrio Lopez rushed for 80 yards and a 6-yard TD for Whiting under first-year coach and 2019 graduate Thomas Knight. Sophomore quarterback Julian Madrueno threw for 136 yards, including a 38-yard score to senior wide receiver Berner Garcia.
“Hats off to Whiting,” Geffert said. “They played really tough for four quarters. There was never not a fight with them, and we matched that same fight. I’m just really proud, especially with the youth we have. We’re a majority underclassmen. With that, usually you have kids hanging their heads, but they just kept fighting.”