Jameson Purcell made an instant splash when he took over as Maine South’s starting quarterback in Week 4 last season.
And that splash didn’t come as a surprise to anyone. Purcell, then a sophomore, had multiple college scholarship offers before ever playing a high school game.
“College coaches were wondering what I was doing early in the season,” Hawks coach Dave Inserra said. “But [Constantine Coines] had a great junior year [the season before]. How could you take that away from him?”
Inserra, in his 25th season on the job, let the situation play out naturally. Coines eventually switched to wide receiver, and Purcell went on to throw for 2,572 yards and 30 touchdowns. He completed 70% of his passes and threw seven interceptions.
“I’m just focusing on the team right now,” said Purcell, a 6-2, 185-pounder. “We’re looking to live up to our expectations and go past that. We start off with four tough games that should be good tests.”
Inserra says Purcell, who committed to Indiana over the summer, has as much potential as any player he has coached.
“He’s very much like [former Maine South and Northwestern quarterback Matt] Alviti in terms of the arm strength and speed,” Inserra said. “He’s even more of a pure quarterback. He’s well-taught, and nothing is going to faze him.”
Finn Haugh, Santino Bernabei and Logan Ide will be Purcell’s top targets this season. The Hawks’ offense doesn’t have many starters back, but big things are expected of dynamic running back Niko Kokosioulis, who grew up near Purcell.
“People don’t see the amount of work [Purcell] puts in,” Kokosioulis said. “He’s throwing with trainers before school. No one works harder than that guy, so it’s great to see it happen on the field for him. It wasn’t an accident. This was a long time coming.”
Inserra expects a strong defense with eight starters back, including Bernabei at defensive back and standout linebacker Gavin Smith.
Maine South opens against Lincoln-Way East for a second straight season. The Griffins scored 49 points in their win against the Hawks in Frankfort in 2024.
“We were embarrassed by our performance last year and are looking for a little revenge,” Smith said. “This defense is very confident.”
Keep an eye on junior linebacker/running back Matthew Schlenhardt, whom Smith calls the hardest hitter on the team and “an animal for us.”
Maine South’s schedule is frontloaded with four tough games before the conference schedule begins. The Hawks are No. 5 in the preseason Super 25 with serious Class 8A state championship ambitions, and Purcell is a serious Player of the Year candidate.
“We know what Jameson can do,” Inserra said. “He just can’t look to do too much. You don’t have to create a touchdown on every play. But he can make a lot of plays. It’s pretty fun to coach him.”