Wildcats pull the switch

Hillcrest's Eric Gaines (3) struggles for a gain against Thornton.
(Matt Marton/SouthtownStar)

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Thornton running a shotgun, no-huddle, pass-oriented offense for the first time ever? When did coach Bill Mosel retire? What happened to the option? Is quarterback Darren Jones complaining?

‘‘I felt so good when coach told me after last season that he wanted to switch to a shotgun,’’ Jones said. ‘‘I knew I'd be able to move the ball around. I like to throw the ball. I'm confident every time I throw the ball that one of our guys will come down with it.’’

Jones, a 6-3, 190-pound senior, completed 15 of 24 passes for 333 yards and four touchdowns as Thornton crushed Hillcrest 34-7 Saturday in the season opener in Harvey.

Nobody could remember if anyone, including former Thornton star Antwaan Randle El, had ever passed for so many yards.

‘‘It was a good start,’’ Mosel said. ‘‘We were embarrassed last year. I decided to change the offense because it better suited the talent we have.

‘‘It's a mixture of Illinois, West Virginia and Troy (Ala.). It allows us to spread the field and let our kids be athletes.’’

A good start indeed for a storied program that was 3-6 last year, Mosel's first losing season since 1988. It also marked the first time since 1997 that Thornton failed to qualify for the state playoffs.

Jones threw scoring passes of 37 and 66 yards to Jamal Gray and 32 and 23 yards to Quinton Richmond. Gray, a 6-3 senior who is one of the state's leading prospects, caught eight passes for 223 yards while Richmond caught six for 107. Junior tailback Dante Tolbert opened the scoring with a 39-yard run.

Mosel said he still will run the option during the season but Jones, who has scholarship offers from Illinois, Michigan State, Indiana, Wisconsin,Iowa and Michigan, clearly demonstrated that the Wildcats' offense will be much more diversified this season.

‘‘I want to play quarterback in college and this offense shows I can do a lot of things,’’ said Jones, who was 10 of 14 for 248 yards and three touchdowns in the first half as Thornton built a 27-0 lead.

‘‘We didn't have the talent to run this offense last year. It was a disappointing season. But this team has the right attitude. There is a lot of determination on this team. They hustle a lot. Everyone wants to win and everyone comes to play.’’

Jones, who said he won't make a college decision until after the season, said he has what it takes to make this offense effective — good receivers and good athletes on the offensive line who move around and protect him.

Ringleaders in the offensive line were guards Cameron Miller and Casey Johnson, tackles Steven Davis and DaRon Reddick and center Tiras Hill.

On defense, Thornton limited Hillcrest quarterback Herb Offord to 13 of 36 for 138 yards and a 37-yard touchdwon pass to Danny Harris.

The Wildcats, sparked by Tolbert, Gussie Jones, Ian Roy, Charles Pierce, David Prater and Marcus Franklin, recovered two fumbles and intercepted two passes.