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Gilmour football: Cooper Panteck knew early on that Gilmour was the place for him
Senior quarterback is having a stellar year heading into the regional semifinals
There are a lot of teams — 11 of them to be exact — that have gotten shredded by Cooper Panteck and the Gilmour Academy football team’s offense this season.
Nearly a dozen teams now know what it’s like to get picked apart unmercifully by the Lancers’ highly efficient 6-foot-4, 185-pound senior quarterback.
“It’s been great,” Panteck said, “but if you look at my stats, I have a lot of great players around me. My receivers have a lot of yards after catch, our line has been great and we have great running backs. I’m blessed to be in the system I am in.”
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Nearly a dozen teams now know what it’s like to get picked apart unmercifully by the Lancers’ highly efficient 6-foot-4, 185-pound senior quarterback.
Don’t blame Panteck or his teammates. Don’t blame the coaches, either. The finger of blame should probably be pointed at a young man who is now a lacrosse player at LaMoyne College. A guy named Brady Pietruska.
If not for Pietruska, the Gilmour football team might not be having the type of success they’re having this season under Panteck’s guidance under center.
As a young, aspiring football player, Panteck envisioned himself following the path forged by his father Bryan and uncle Geoff as state championship-caliber quarterbacks at St. Ignatius. That was until his neighbor opened a door for him in Gates Mills.
“I had a neighbor in Strongsville, Brady Pietruska, who was going to Gilmour’s middle school,” Panteck said. “They had ‘Bring a Friend to School Day’ and Brady took me. I instantly fell in love with this place. From seventh grade on, I knew I was going to end up at Gilmour.”
Panteck is in his first year as Gilmour’s starting quarterback, but he is having a season to remember. Heading into the Lancers’ Division III, Region 9 semifinal against CVCA on Nov. 15, Panteck has completed 166 of 248 passes (66.9 percent) for 2,811 yards and 36 touchdowns, with only two interceptions.
The Lancers enter this weekend’s game with an 11-1 record, the 11 wins equaling a program record. One more win and Gilmour is off to the regional championship game with a program record 12 wins, led by a quarterback with championship lineage who is making a name for himself.
“It’s been great,” Panteck said, “but if you look at my stats, I have a lot of great players around me. My receivers have a lot of yards after catch, our line has been great and we have great running backs. I’m blessed to be in the system I am in.”
The Lancers — and the area — got a glimpse of what Panteck could be in the 2023 season when he threw for 829 yards and nine touchdowns in limited duty as the backup to All-Ohioan Jake Kavcic.
Heading into the 2024 season, Gilmour coach Tom Kaufman called Panteck “the best-kept secret” and the “most underrated quarterback” in the area, if not Ohio. After the season Panteck has had to this point, it’s safe to say his coach was right.
Panteck went nine straight games this season without throwing an interception. While he threw a pair of them in the Lancers’ regular-season loss to VASJ, he has been unwavering in his ability to protect the ball while driving his team down the field in two playoff games since the loss to the Vikings.
“Make the easiest throw you can make,” Panteck said of his recipe for success. “Don’t force anything. Like Coach always tells me, whoever wins the turnover battle usually wins the game. I need to be smart with the football and don’t force things.”
That good thing about Panteck’s rationale is he has plenty of playmakers around him. Sean Dillard has caught 56 passes for 953 yards and 10 touchdowns, while Ohio State recruit Brody Lennon has 34 catches for 699 yards and 11 scores. Lars Broberg (31 catches, 570 yards, 10 TDs) and Nick Ilano (26 catches, 484 yards, 6 TDs) aren’t far behind.
The ground game of Nick Lennon (509 yards, seven TDs), C.J. Santatage (314 yards, five TDs) and Aiden McNamara (294 yards, nine TDs) shouldered its share of the load, too, especially McNamara of late, who has seven touchdown runs in the past two games.
“One hundred percent of the credit goes to the line,” Panteck said. “Tim Lennon, Luke Markowski, Jake Williams, Ben Goodnow, Paul Dinehart… they’ve been tremendous all year. They’re not the biggest, but they’re one of the most physical offensive lines in Ohio.”
Add it all up, and the Lancers have a pretty scary offense, one which averages 40.8 points per game.
“He’s a smart kid. A tall kid who just makes plays,” Coach Tom Kaufman said. “He came in filling big shoes. He waited for his shots — some would have transferred, but he didn’t. He worked really hard. His football IQ is off the charts.”
After the 2023 season ended, Panteck showed his leadership by gathering returning players — particularly the receiving unit — together for offseason route-running to build chemistry and timing.
“We went by ourselves and went to work,” Panteck said. “A minimum of three times a week. Sometimes six.”
Work ethic, leadership, productivity, character — Panteck checks all the boxes according to his coach.
“He’s sharp as a cat,” Kaufman said. “We’re lucky to have him.”
The Panteck family is synonymous with athletic proficiency in Northeast Ohio. Cooper’s father, Bryan, showed that as St. Ignatius’ quarterback, his uncle Geoff showed it with the Wildcats, and Cooper’s cousins Carson and Caleb are standouts at nearby University School.
Cooper’s gridiron path — thanks in large part to Brady Pietruska — took him in a different direction. Because of that, the Lancers are on the doorstep of something they’ve never done before — win 12 games in a season and play for a regional championship.
“I wouldn’t trade my high school career for anything,” Panteck said. “I’m very, very happy I came here.”
His coach whole-heartedly agrees.
“I’m glad he made that decision,” Kaufman said. “That’s for sure.”
(3) CVCA at (2) Gilmour
What: Division III, Region 9 semifinal
When: 7 p.m., Nov. 15
Where: Twinsburg Tiger Stadium, 10270 Ravenna Road, Twinsburg
Records: CVCA 10-2, Gilmour 11-1
Gilmour’s path: Defeated Akron East, 45-12, def. Maple Heights, 40-6
CVCA’s path: Defeated University, 45-14, def. Chardon, 19-16
On deck: Winner will face the winner of (1) Youngstown Ursuline and (4) Aurora for the regional championship
