Jack Connolly just wants to fit in.
The success Waubonsie Valley has enjoyed under Paul Murphy employing the triple option while annually changing quarterbacks isn’t a fluke.
Kenny Clay, Tommy Kolzow, Mitch Stefani, Dylan Warden, Jack Eddy and Zack Bennema have all had their respective bites at the proverbial apple for the Warriors.
Now it’s Connolly’s turn.
After watching Bennema, who leaves Tuesday to begin his career at Baylor as a preferred walk-on at quarterback, rack up 1,795 total yards and 27 touchdowns, Connolly takes the reins of Murphy’s triple-option offense.
“It’s going to help me a lot,” Connolly said of his year behind Bennema, the 2014 Upstate Eight Valley Co-Player of the Year. “First off, you can just look at his stats and you know he had a great year. So I just learned so much from him skill-wise, especially with the option. Just riding everything out and making decisions.
“But it goes beyond that. His leadership. Especially his leadership. He was a great leader. That’s part of the reason why I thought we did so well last year was because of how strong our leadership was and Zack was the head of that. So I learned a lot from him there. Just being a leader and reading the offense, I just learned a lot from him.”
Connolly threw just one pass in Bennema’s stead last year, completing it for 16 yards during a 59-29 Week 9 victory over South Elgin.
As he prepares to become the seventh different QB to start a game for Waubonsie Valley since 2009 come Aug. 28 at home against Lake Park, Connolly knows the secret of the program’s success.
“I think it’s really effective because you get that one year to learn a lot from the guy ahead of you,” he said. “I learned so much behind Zack. Obviously, he had a great year and he’s heading off to Baylor (Tuesday). So I’ve just taken so much from him that I’m carrying over and you get one year. So it just means so much more. You get your one chance and you got to take advantage of it and people always do. So I’m looking to do the same.”
With the Warriors coming off a 9-2 season in 2014 and the program’s first victory over Neuqua Valley since 2011, he’ll look to do so with help of Rodney Gee and Max Ihry in the backfield.
Gee’s 209 rushing yards and Ihry’s three rushing touchdowns mark returning team highs for the Warriors, who lose running backs Tony Durns and Ryan Berg.
Senior Jake Schroeder’s eight receptions for 67 yards are the most receiving yards the offense brings back this fall.
Schroeder will lead a wide receiver group that will include seniors Mike France and Steve Rosenthal, along with sophomore Charles Robinson.
Robinson, at 6-3, will provide Connolly a big target to throw and he has already stood out in workouts.
“He had a pretty good weekend at Red Grange,” he said of Robinson. “He made a lot of plays for us.”
Home games with Lake Park and Glenbard North begin Waubonsie Valley’s inaugural foray into the DuPage Valley Conference.
The presence of three starting offensive linemen, including Tyler Caldwell and Brandon Petersen, should provide an opportunity for Connolly to keep the triple-option rolling.
“The big difference is that, just from top-to-bottom, there’s no bad team,” Connolly said of the DVC. “You just got to be ready every weekend because really anyone in that conference can beat anyone on any given night just because of how competitive it is.”