QBs take center stage at Maine West

Glenbrook North's Tommy Coughlin (left) and Maine South's Charlie Goro stood out at Central Suburban League/Mid-Suburban League Passing Competition on Tuesday.
(Stacia Timonere/For the Sun-Times News Group)

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Some of the better quarterbacks in the Class of 2009 took the field Tuesday at Maine West for the Central Suburban League/Mid-Suburban League Passing Competition.

With 24 teams involved and at least two quarterbacks per squad, it was Charlie Goro of Maine South, Tommy Coughlin of Glenbrook North and Matt Rossi of Palatine who came away as three of the most impressive, according to recruiting analyst Tim O’Halloran of EdgyTim.com, who stopped by the annual event.

“[The Central Suburban/Mid-Suburban League Passing Competition] is a great collection of teams from one area,” O’Halloran said. “It’s a great chance to try and get a feel for every team … especially if they have a good quarterback.”

With Goro still at the helm, Maine South was one of the explosive teams at Maine West. Goro seemingly picked apart opposing defenses at will and showed off the arm that made him one of the top players in the state last season.

Still, O’Halloran called Goro a “head-scratcher.” Last fall, the 6-3, 192-pound rising senior passed for more than 2,700 yards and 26 touchdowns, while rushing for 500 yards and seven scores. But Goro has only two scholarships offers from Eastern Illinois and Air Force.

“I thought he’d have more offers by now,” O’Halloran said. “It’s kind of an unfortunate deal for now. Hopefully, in the early part of the fall, he’ll get a couple games under his belt and knowing Charlie he’ll throw for 400-plus yards a game. That certainly won’t hurt him whatsoever. I am pulling for him.”

Coughlin may have had the strongest arm on the field, according to O’Halloran. The 6-2, 175-pounder threw for 1,247 yards and 12 touchdowns last season, while leading the Spartans to the state quarterfinals.

"The way he throws the ball, he might have the best arm out here,” O’Halloran said. “He just absolutely flings that ball.”

Like Goro and Coughlin, Rossi – who tosses a very accurate deep ball – led his team to the playoffs as a junior, throwing for more than 1,200 yards and 14 scores.

“[Rossi] is an interesting kid,” O’Halloran said. “He’s a big kid and throws a good ball. He also had good junior tapes.”

Of all the teams involved, Maine South, Waukegan, Evanston (with new head coach Mike Burzawa, formerly of Driscoll) and Deerfield caught O’Halloran’s eye. Non-CSL and MSL teams, Driscoll and Homewood-Flossmoor, who also competed at Maine West, were also impressive.

“It’s a pretty good collection of teams,” he said.

YOURSEASON.COM NOTES

* Former Buffalo Grove High and Notre Dame star Tom Zbikowski, the 86th overall pick in the 2008 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens, stopped by Maine West to root on the Bison and check out their new coaching staff.

Driving to Maine West, though, brought back a number of memories for the former Sun-Times Player of the Year.

“It was a lot of fun, bringing back good memories of coming here and having fun in the summer playing 7-on-7 and playing football and stuff,” said Zbikowski, who will play safety in the pros.

* By the look of things, Rolling Meadows’ coach Doug Millsaps has found a replacement for standout quarterback Ben Sabal, who graduated this year. Junior-to-be Jimmy Garoppolo played linebacker last season, but looks fully capable of being the Mustangs’ quarterback the next two years. The 6-3, 187-pounder showed off a strong arm and a nice touch on Tuesday.

* Also by the look of things, New New Trier coach Matt Irvin, who was the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's high school football coach of the year in 2007, has the Trevians on the right path.

* Passing 7-on-7 competitions – if anything – are good gauges for judging quarterbacks. Other gunslingers at Maine West to watch out for this year include: Deerfield’s Jason Hendel, Maine West’s Frank Hess, Glenbrook South’s Ryan Hopkins and Waukegan’s Mar’Quezie Edmonds.