Jack Healy of the Titans hauls in a pass against New Trier. He had four catches for 87 yards in the loss. PHOTOGRAPHY BY TING SHEN
Glenbrook South senior wide receiver Jack Healy has an opportunity to play at the next level, and he has plenty of highlights from this season to send to interested college coaches.
It’s safe to say his Oct. 2 touchdown grab against Maine South will be at or near the beginning of any highlight reel.
With the ball at the five-yard-line, Healy ran a fade pattern to the back of the end zone. Despite double coverage, the 6-foot-4 receiver reached up and secured quarterback Daniel Jenkins’ throw with one hand, pinning the ball against his helmet as he fell.
“It will go down in Glenbrook South football history as one of the greatest catches ever,” Titans longtime head coach Mike Noll said of the play that tied the score 7-7.
For much of that evening, the game also seemed like one for the ages, as the Titans went toe-to-toe with the powerhouse Hawks before losing 34-31 in overtime.
A victory over a Maine South squad that has not lost a league game since the year 2000, might have propelled Glenbrook South to great heights. Instead, the Titans (3-5, 1-3) will miss the postseason, a fate sealed by a 35-14 home loss to New Trier on Oct. 16.
But Healy’s contribution has been a major bright spot. After making little impact as a junior, Healy has become one of the area’s most dangerous receivers, entering Saturday’s season-finale at Waukegan with 55 catches for 774 yards and four touchdowns.
“Last year, (Healy) wasn’t fast enough, wasn’t big enough, wasn’t anything enough,” Noll said. “He had a really good offseason, worked hard, grew a lot and got stronger. He’s had a great season and can certainly go on and play in college. He has become a heckuva player.”
Healy is the latest in Glenbrook South’s line of talented big receivers, a list that goes back nearly a decade and includes the likes of 6-6 Dan Monckton, 6-4 Trent Monckton and 6-4 Cody Carroll.
When the 2014 season concluded, it seemed unlikely Healy ever would find himself mentioned in the same breath as those other tall Titan receivers.
“(At the end of last year) the coaches told me to work hard (in the offseason) and that they had confidence in me,” said Healy, who played at 6-2, 170 pounds as a junior. “But I don’t think they knew I would progress this much.”
Healy grew two inches, added 20 pounds of muscle and improved his hands and speed, working regularly with a local sports performance company called TCBOOST.
“They came to (GBS) once a week during the summer and worked with us on our 40 times and on stride improvement,” Healy said. “I also changed my body and became a more complete athlete in the weight room.”
Healy said he was motivated by the desire to come through for his fellow Titans.
“I wanted to be there for my teammates and wanted them to be able to rely on me,” he said. “I was in there (working out) every day before school. The days I didn’t want to go, I just thought about the year before and how I was not capable of making plays, and that I wanted to go out there and make plays. I never lost the drive to keep working.”
Healy has been consistently making plays all season, most notably in that Maine South game, where he finished with seven catches for 70 yards. He also had a nine-catch, 148-yard, one-touchdown-performance in a 56-34 win over Niles West on Sept. 25.
Even Healy’s stats against New Trier (4 catches, 87 yards) were a bit misleading. Twice, New Trier defensive backs were called for pass interference against Healy, including one where Trevians talented defensive back Francis Fay tackled Healy to prevent what very likely would have been a 50-yard touchdown catch.
There was one stretch late in the second quarter when Healy seemed impossible to defend, catching consecutive passes of 15, 30 and 14 yards on a drive that resulted in a Titans’ touchdown, which brought them to within 14-7 at halftime.
“(Healy) is a very good receiver and runs very good routes,” said Fay, who said he was a little surprised the Titans only threw in Healy’s direction four times in the second half. “Our biggest emphasis was to get hands on (Healy) and be physical, especially against someone who has a height advantage on you.”
The Trevians had been well aware of Healy going into the game, using 6-4 senior receiver Calvin Montgomery to mimic the Titans’ big pass catcher in practice.
In recent months, several Division III football programs also have had Healy on their radar screens, with programs like Illinois Wesleyan and DePauw showing interest.
Healy said Glenbrook South assistant Dave Schoenwetter, a former quarterback at Division III Knox College, is helping with the recruiting process.
It’s a process, Healy admits, still in its early stages due to his relatively recent emergence as a major receiving threat.
“Last year, I really didn’t even think I would be in this position,” Healy said.