Lockport’s Brendan Mecher knew the margin of error was thin and the only direction was forward.
After the Porters dropped three out of their first four games at the start of the season, the 6-foot, 185-pound senior quarterback recognized the severity of the moment.
“We had some tough few games at the start, with some losses out there in front,” Mecher said, looking back. “But we always knew what we had to do to make the playoffs.
“We just had to put our nose down, ignore everyone else and just improve each week.”
Mecher turned those thoughts into a fact Friday night, throwing for a touchdown and running for a TD in a 41-17 win over Neuqua Valley that secured the Southwest Valley Blue title.
Throwing for 140 yards and running for another 72 yards, Mecher powered Lockport (6-3, 5-2) to its fifth consecutive win. But now, the Porters are preparing for their postseason return.
They play conference rival Sandburg (7-2) at 6 p.m. Saturday in a Class 8A first-round playoff game in Orland Park. It’s a rematch as Mecher finished with a personal-best four TDs on Oct. 10 in a 28-7 victory over the Eagles.
“We have some confidence from that first game, but this is the playoffs,” Mecher said. “Everything increases in importance and anything in the past just goes out the window.
“We’re acting as if we’ve never played them before.”
Senior running back Chris Miller confirmed that Mecher’s emergence as a two-way threat has optimized Lockport’s attack.
“He has great athletic ability,” Miller said of Mecher. “He’s a very elusive, skilled runner when he has the ball in his hands. He has the ability to break a play open at any time out there.”
In his first year on the varsity last season, Mecher started out playing receiver. An injury to the starter opened the door for him to play quarterback for the last five games of the season.
Mecher and the Porters’ diverse offense has never been the same.
“He’s just a gamer who we could really play anywhere — on defense, at receiver, running back or quarterback,” Lockport coach George Czart said. “We saw last year with him at receiver that he was too good to be on the bench.
“He can throw the ball a country mile and has some accuracy. We’re not really doing anything differently. Our offense is just clicking at the right time.”
Mecher has enough size, speed and power to impact the game in multiple ways. Designed runs unlock a new facet.
“Being able to use my legs and manipulate the defense adds a whole other aspect of our game,” Mecher said. “Rather than just having the option of passing, we basically have two running backs.”
Quarterback isn’t just the most important on the field. It’s a state of mind. Everything starts there, and Mecher’s level of faith requires a sharpness, discipline and willingness to lead.
“I always talk with my teammates or the coaches and I’m never afraid to ask questions,” he said. ”There’s no question, at the start of the season, I had nerves and jitters. I’ve learned to calm down.
“Now, I do whatever the coach asks me.”
A middle infielder in baseball, Mecher is accustomed to playing high-skill sports that require anticipation and the ability to read the game. His favorite activities are golf and fishing.
Those sports are designed around solitude, patience and waiting for the moment.
“What I’ve really learned to love is having the ball in my hands on every play,” he said. “What I’m really thinking about is refining all of the small details. We don’t need to do anything extravagant.
“We just need to play our best football and execute perfectly.”
Patrick Z. McGavin is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
