Before the first couple of snaps, Elgin’s Darin Ward likes to script the game in his mind.
The senior quarterback visualizes patterns and the opposing defense, looking for opportunities.
“I like to put my mind at ease and just think about what I want to do out there,” Ward said. “I have a lot of trust in the players around me, so I know I have time to make plays when I’m back there.”
Ward made some big plays Friday night, running for a touchdown and throwing for another as the Maroons captured their first victory with a 53-0 Upstate Eight West win at East Aurora.
A two-way threat, Ward completed 5 of 7 passes for 63 yards and ran for 81 yards on six carries, including a 1-yard TD dive, to lead Elgin (1-4, 1-1).
Senior quarterback CJ Young ran for 61 yards and threw for 43 yards for the Tomcats (0-5, 0-3).
Ward was good from the start. His 42-yard run set up his rushing TD on the opening drive before his 30-yard run set up a 4-yard TD pass to senior receiver Jeremiah Hill on the next possession.
Senior running back Fabian Ramirez also scored twice on runs of 2 and 39 yards and contributed a team-best seven tackles playing linebacker for Elgin.
Still, Ward’s running sparked the offensive fireworks as the Maroons eclipsed their previous season scoring total (52). The threat of his running made play-action passes especially effective.
“Every time he handles the ball, you know he is capable of that kind of explosiveness,” Ramirez said. “Whenever he has the ball, our offense is really unpredictable and hard to slow down.
“We were ready for a game like this.”
Junior running back Aiden Coleman, who added a 3-yard TD run, confirmed the versatility offered by Ward drives the Maroons’ attack.
“If he just puts his mind to it, he is always going to get it done,” Coleman said of Ward. ”We lost some games we should have won earlier this season, and he kept the team together.
“He’s really cool, and I really like playing with him.”
Ward’s poise kept the team afloat through those early struggles, and the hardest part of losing is coping with the mental strain.
“Even with the losses, we stayed optimistic and kept our heads up,” Ward said. “We didn’t have any negativity.”
Ward is a three-sport athlete. He’s a sprinter who also does the long jump in track and plays point guard in basketball.
“Track helps a lot with my speed, quickness and balance,” he said. “And basketball, I really just play for fun. I love to go to the gym and train. I’m pretty quiet, but I’m competitive.
“That is something that has developed over time.”
Ward has generated recruiting interest from Roosevelt and Judson. His role model is his older cousin, Giovoni Griffin, who is now playing football at Beloit.
Griffin preceded Ward as a quarterback for the Maroons.
”I looked up to him like a brother,” Ward said. “He was a couple of years older than me and taught me a lot. He showed me about being in the pocket, standing up to pressure and staying cool.”
While his cousin provided a template, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was a dominant influence. But Ward is clearly his own player, with a style befitting his personality.
The past is the past, and he said he’s only concerned with the path before him.
“My leadership style is definitely more by example,” he said. “We are very optimistic about making the playoffs now. We can win our next four games. We hadn’t beaten this team in four years.
“I’ll remember this night forever — when we turned our season.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
