Not that it was necessary, but St. Edward quarterback Dylan Mlinarich has been forewarned.
Wide receiver Saveon Smith placed an exclamation point on the announcement.
“There’s no more Wildcat here,” Smith said. “Coach says we’re throwing it 60 times a game, so we’re telling Dylan to get ready.”
Mlinarich, a junior left-hander, is definitely ready to become the centerpiece of the Green Wave offense.
Last year with varsity, Mlinarich completed 80 of 158 passes for 1,033 yards with eight touchdowns and seven interceptions. This came in a ground-oriented offense suited to emphasize the skills of graduated running back Dwayne Allen Jr.
But Air Wave has replaced Ground Wave.
“We’ve been looking good ever since we started 7-on-7 indoors,” Mlinarich said. “We picked up the pace then and started getting into attack mode.”
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To be fair, St. Edward coach Mike Rolando always has favored the passing game, being a former quarterback at Larkin.
Allen’s skills and the running of Smith as a Wildcat quarterback last year altered the appearance of St. Edward’s offense. Besides, it’s never wise to place too great a burden on a sophomore playing quarterback on the varsity.
He grew into the role last year, and this year, the 6-foot-2, 190-pound Mlinarich appears to have just grown, period. He looks like a varsity quarterback.
“I was a little skinny last year, but I think I did pretty a good overall job with weights, conditioning and getting ready,” Mlinarich said. “I think I definitely improved my footwork.
“I was slow to run, but I’d like to get running faster so that if it’s third-and-1 or fourth-and-1, maybe I can get us a yard or two now.”
Attending camps at Northwestern, Iowa State, Purdue, Valparaiso and North Central sharpened Mlinarich’s passing. Working with a head coach who’s a former quarterback doesn’t hurt, either, except for the whole righty-lefty thing.
“Yeah, sometimes coach explains something and has to stop and say, ‘Well, for you it’s the other way,'” Mlinarich said, laughing.
The offensive system also is tailored more to Mlinarich.
“They’re having me at six or seven yards deep, so now I can have more time to get the ball out to the receivers,” Mlinarich said.
And make no mistake, he has receivers.
“We not only have our quarterback returning, but we have all of our receivers back,” Rolando said. “They’re all going to play both ways, covering in the secondary for us, too. But we have enough.
“We’ll rotate through them and get them each a rest.”
If anyone thinks this is a one-year-and-done shot, think again.
Smith (15 catches, 356 yards 2 TDs), David Madden (14-174, 3 TDs), Tyler Holte (16-188, 1 TD), Jimmy Harkins (13-131, 1 TD), and Ryan Pomeroy are the returning receivers. Harkins is the only senior, so Mlinarich will be working two more years with a familiar crew.
“Our receiver corps is stronger than it was in previous years,” Smith said. “We figured that out in 7-on-7 when we were dominating people.
“Each one of us has different skills and we work together well in the offense.”
Proof positive? St. Edward won its division at the Canlan Sports Complex 7-on-7 competition in Lake Barrington.
The prospect for an aerial show exists, but 60 passes a game like Smith suggested seems a bit much.
“Coach ‘Ro’ said we’re going to be throwing 40 to 50 times a game, and probably running three times,” Mlinarich said. “I like that — whatever we can do to get the win.”
Twitter @genechamberlai2
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