Maine South’s Jameson Purcell is ready to meet the moment

Maine South asks senior quarterback Jameson Purcell to do a lot.

Too much, even, if you ask Hawks head coach Dave Inserra.

“He’s just so talented, and sometimes we expect almost too much from him,” Inserra said after Maine South’s 49-14 Class 8A playoff win over O’Fallon on Saturday afternoon. “So when it’s not 100% perfect, you’re like, ‘Hey, what’s going on?’”

Purcell was nearly perfect for Maine South in its playoff opener. By Inserra’s assessment, he made just one bad throw against the Panthers, completing 17 of 26 passes for 293 yards and four touchdowns while adding 27 yards on three carries.

Purcell also made one genuinely excellent throw in the game’s second quarter, channeling his inner Baker Mayfield as he faked an O’Fallon defender with his right arm before delivering a bullet into a tight window 11 yards down the sideline with his left.

He has been nearly perfect for Maine South throughout his three years as the program’s starter since Inserra handed him the reins as a sophomore with the Hawks sitting at 1-3 through four games. Purcell boasts a 26-4 record to go with more than 7,500 passing yards and 90 passing touchdowns.

The southpaw dual threat committed to Indiana shortly before his junior season, choosing the Hoosiers over a 30-team offer list that included Georgia, Miami and Oregon.

The only blemish on Purcell’s resume are two consecutive losses in the Class 8A quarterfinals. Now in the thick of his final playoff run before he exchanges Maine South red for Indiana crimson, he is a state title away from earning a spot in the inner circle of Maine South’s all-time greats.

Purcell admitted that he feels the pressure, both of his last dance with the Hawks and the expectations that come with being committed to Curt Cignetti’s Hoosiers.

He spoke of “the hard thing about being committed to Indiana,” before pausing to acknowledge the absurdity of the comment, already media-trained with the best of them.

Who wouldn’t want to play for the defending national champions?

“It’s hard, obviously the attention, the noise around you,” he added. “I’ve got to be careful, you know? I’ve got to be on most times.”

Purcell wants people to understand that “he’s a normal, funny guy” who likes to play golf and “hang out with the boys.”

Another “hard thing about being committed to Indiana,” he joked, is that his laser focus on football has opened the door for his twin brother, Bailey, to surpass him as the best golfer in the family.

Inserra says he coaches Purcell hard because he knows his quarterback can take it — and because he knows what’s coming for him at IU under the “discipline-oriented” Cignetti.

“He takes coaching very well,” Inserra said of his star senior quarterback. “He’s always looking to get better, just in the little things. It’s not like he’s got to do anything massive.”

Matt Schlenhardt, a senior running back and linebacker for the Hawks who is committed to Syracuse, said that his quarterback is “fueled” by the high standards of Maine South’s coaching staff, laughing as he describes how a tough practice makes his quarterback “a little angry.”

“It’s like a chip on his shoulder,” he added. “It’s, ‘I know I’m gonna make this play. I got you.’ And then he just goes out there and slings it.”

Maine South offensive coordinator Ryan Healy praised Purcell’s ability to blend a “calm” demeanor with an “eye of the tiger” mentality on the football field, especially as he has become more involved in the Hawks’ offensive preparation as a senior.

“You can really put anything you want on him,” Healy said. “I’ll talk to him on the headset when I’m upstairs (during a game) and ask, ‘Hey, what do you think? What do you like? He’s got more input with the offense, with me,” adding, “We really trust him.”

Purcell and Maine South will face a tough test on its road to the state championship against St. Ignatius’ bruising triple-option offense on Saturday.

The Wolfpack are 8-2 after opening their playoff campaign with a 55-7 smackdown of West Aurora last Friday night. The 9-1 Hawks will have to be at their best to even get back to the quarterfinals.

Purcell acknowledged his “eye of the tiger” competitive streak, but he cited his “poise” as his defining characteristic as a leader.

“I’ve got to have a positive mindset,” he said. “I know I’m the center of the offense, so my teammates are going to look to me.”