Gavin Gardiner throws for 268 yards in the first half to lead St. Patrick past Leo

St. Patrick has qualified for the state playoffs just once in the past 10 seasons. This season, new coach Tom Zbikowski, the former Notre Dame star and NFL player, arrived to turn things around.

The Shamrocks dominated Leo 42-8 on Saturday in a running-clock win at Triton College.

St. Patrick quarterback Gavin Gardiner, a 6-2, 170-pound junior, showed he may be a key factor in the Shamrocks’ football revival.

“I’ve been a little surprised by how good he’s playing so soon,” Zbikowski said. “Even in his first game, he didn’t look like it was his first start. He’s getting better every day.”

Gardiner was 13-for-17 for 268 yards and two touchdowns, all in the first half. He connected with Joseph Costanzo for an 82-yard TD midway through the first quarter that put St. Patrick ahead 14-0.

Gardiner’s father, Michael, is a 1996 graduate of St. Patrick and played on the football team.

“My dad went here, but he gave me the option of going to St. Pat’s or Loyola,” Gardiner said. “I felt most at home here. I love St. Pat’s.”

Gardiner has been playing quarterback since first grade. He connected with seven receivers. Timmy Schayer had four catches for 81 yards, and Jayden Miranda caught two passes for 35 yards.

“It felt great today. We had everything going,” Gardiner said. “The offensive line protected me great and the receivers did their job. It was a team effort and really nice to see it all come together.”

Leo (2-1) didn’t have success on the ground, but sophomore quarterback Trent Watson was 10-for-22 for 144 yards with one interception.

St. Patrick sophomore Emanuel Day returned the interception 35 yards for a TD. Day has been relishing his first season on varsity.

“That was the first big moment for me,” Day said. “It felt special. Everything around the team is positive. We can make it to the playoffs this year and break the streak.”

The Shamrocks (2-1) lost to Yorkville in the season opener and beat Larkin in Week 2. Their schedule ramps up in difficulty now, which makes next week’s game against DePaul Prep an important in the quest for playoff qualification.

“It’s a big test to see where we are at,” Zbikowski said. “It feels like we are right where we need to be and that we are starting to catch our stride. These were two big wins for my boys. We played the way we wanted to play.”

Leo played without senior Derrick Davis, one of its best players. Davis and two teammates are in Los Angeles with the school choir, which is performing on the television show “America’s Got Talent.”

“Missing the guys for choir wasn’t as hard on us as an illness that was going around all week,” Lions coach Theo Hopkins said. “There were a lot of guys missing practice.”

Leo knocked off Dunbar and Amundsen to start the season.

“Beating Amundsen was a program-changing win for us,” Hopkins said. “That’s a team on the rise and definitely helped our confidence. I’m feeling pretty good about where we are.”