By Bobby Narang
Nazareth Academy High School junior football quarterback J.J. McCarthy enters the offseason full of motivation.
By his own admission, McCarthy, a University of Michigan recruit, encountered his first experience of adversity, following a 37-13 loss to Mount Carmel in the Class 7A State championship game at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb November 30.
Before that game, McCarthy, a top level five-star recruit, had a 26-1 record that included leading the Roadrunners to a State championship last season.
But, McCarthy struggled against the aggressive and athletic Caravan defense. Mount Carmel head coach Jordan Lynch, a former star quarterback at Northern Illinois University, and his coaching staff members, designed a solid game plan to slow down Nazareth’s high octane offense. McCarthy finished eight-for-25 passing for 116 yards and a touchdown in the loss. McCarthy even lost a ball deep in Nazareth’s territory on a fumble.
“I’m focusing on keeping two hands on the ball at all times,” he said. “Ball security is job security. I want to get better in the pocket, stepping into the pocket, and being comfortable in the chaos and developing better trust with my receivers.
“I learned a lot from that experience. We came up short of our goal. I took a lot from that game. Seeing the seniors come up short, I don’t want to have that for my (senior year). I plan on working even harder to not let that happen…I don’t care about my (passing) yardage, I just want to win games,” McCarthy said. “I’m going into this offseason with a different attitude. It will definitely affect next year… A lot of people talk about the turning point in their lives. The (State) loss was it for me. I’m at that point I don’t want that to happen to me again. I’m going to work even harder.”
Still, McCarthy has a lot to build upon, even after completing 189-of-315 passes for 2,820 yards and 34 touchdowns at the LaGrange Park school in the recently-completed season. He threw only eight interceptions in 14 games. Nazareth head coach Tim Racki said McCarthy is on the right path to greatness.
“We’re still writing the book, but J.J. already has cemented an incredible legacy,” Racki said. “Ever since he was a kid, he’s had incredibly high goals. He’s really good at being locked in. He wants to get it done at Michigan, play in the NFL, but he’s really good at keeping his feet locked into where he’s at in his career and not losing focus.”