Gavin Gardiner looks like a different player.
Not only has the 6-6 senior quarterback elevated his skills from a year ago, but he’s starting to fill out his frame.
Up 30 pounds after his offseason training, Gardiner has unbeaten St. Patrick cooking on offense. The Shamrocks (3-0) are averaging 51.7 points per game.
“Our offensive coordinator, Byron Dawkins, he’s been awesome,” Gardiner said. “He’s really helped me, especially with my reads and footwork. It’s awesome to play in his offense. Our offensive line is protecting me and I haven’t been sacked yet this season. Our run game’s really clicking. Our receivers are getting in the right spots.”
Class 5A playoff qualifiers a year ago, the Shamrocks have blown out Rolling Meadows, St. Viator and Marian Catholic. He’s only made two starts, but Gardiner has 619 passing yards and eight touchdowns on a 65% completion rate. Even with Gardiner sitting out Week 3 due to rest, backup quarterback Kierre Wilson led St. Patrick to a 45-7 win.
“Byron’s helped me so much with my confidence and my footwork,” Gardiner said. “I’ve really progressed on the run and off platform. Last year, I was strictly a pocket guy. I never really got on the move. This year, I have a rushing touchdown and we have a lot of moves outside of the pocket. I really worked on that this offseason.”
Executing RPOs and showing improved mobility, Gardiner has spread the ball around. He connected with receiver A.J. Henning five times for 127 yards and two touchdowns during a 54-27 win over Rolling Meadows. The next week, Gardiner found Nicholas Miro six times for 120 yards and two touchdowns in a 56-14 thrashing of St. Viator.
“Our concepts are working really well with our run game and our play action game,” Gardiner said. “We have good run fakes up front and we’re putting linebackers in conflict. I’ve had a lot of passes over the middle through tight windows. Our receivers are making the right reads on some of our deeper concepts and we’re clicking right now.”
The Shamrocks have been as effective on the ground as they’ve been through the air. Running behind a tough offensive line that includes 6-8 Minnesota recruit Dylan Mota, senior back Jayden Miranda has 426 yards and seven touchdowns on almost 7 yards per carry. St. Patrick has more points than any CCL team through three weeks.
“Our RPO reliefs on these run plays just put the defense in so much stress,” Gardiner said. “They can’t be right and that’s kind of my job. Every run play, we have some sort of RPO tag for the most part, so we’re getting the right numbers in the box and our linemen are going to get the job done up front. … Jayden, he’s running people over.”
Gardiner is one of only a few returning starting quarterbacks in the CCL. He took the reins his junior season, St. Patrick’s first under head coach Tom Zbikowski. Gardiner started 11 games and threw for 2,094 yards, 16 touchdowns and 11 interceptions as the Shamrocks advanced to the second round of the playoffs, losing to Cary-Grove.
St. Patrick faces Marmion this week and will have tough tests against Mount Carmel, Joliet Catholic and Nazareth as the year progresses. For Gardiner, whose goals include hitting 3,000 passing yards and a state championship, the focus remains week to week.
“We’re all confident in each other,” Gardiner said. “We’ve been doing it together since freshman year. We haven’t had many transfers and we’ve had a couple of additions to the receiver room. Our chemistry is very high.”
Zbikowski, a former Buffalo Grove and Notre Dame star who played in the NFL, spoke highly of his returning quarterback in the summer.
“Gavin looks as sharp as I’ve seen him look,” Zbikowski said. “Him arm strength is there and his decisions are there. He was always a good decision maker, but seeing the extra weight on him has been good. … We’re all getting on the same page, but it’s good having a leader like Gavin who can pick it all up and translate it to all of the boys.”
Read more high school football coverage on Friday Night Drive.