It’s the nature of football that quarterbacks will almost always receive a lot of attention, and Deerfield’s Mac Jones is no different. The 5-foot-11 senior is in his third season running the Warriors’ offense, and it’s easy to recognize that he’s no newcomer. Rather than seek the spotlight, though, Jones sees his job as more of a supporting role. “He’s so selfless,” Deerfield coach Steve Winiecki said. “He thinks, ‘It’s my job to make those guys look good. It’s my job to get them the ball and make them make plays.’ It’s never been about him. It’s about him finding ways to make those guys help us win games.” Deerfield recorded its first win of the season with a 21-0 victory against rival Highland Park at home on Friday night, and Jones was more than content to unfurl an efficient, workmanlike effort. He completed 14 of 19 passes for 163 yards and two touchdowns in the Warriors’ seventh straight victory in the series. Jones spread the ball among four receivers, with two seniors, running back Quinn Schimanski and tight end Jack Berger, each making five catches. Schimanski finished with 228 total yards, including a 28-yard touchdown catch and an 80-yard touchdown run. On most of the passes, Jones took what the defense gave and simply kept the chains moving for the Warriors (1-1). “We have a lot of guys on offense that I’m comfortable throwing to,” he said. “I have trust in the receivers that they know where to be and they trust that I know the right read to make.” One of those reads came with Deerfield well behind the chains, facing 4th-and-26 from Highland Park’s 35-yard line. That turned out to be the perfect time for the Warriors to unveil a new addition to the playbook. It’s not necessarily drawn up to produce a touchdown, but that was the result as senior wide receiver Jack Moros reeled in Jones’ pass into the end zone to push the Warriors’ lead to 14-0 over the Giants (0-2) late in the first quarter. “That play is more about me reading what’s happening,” Jones said. “He’s just on a deep post, and I had guys underneath, but I saw that safety come down and knew he could beat him over the top. We knew we weren’t punting that ball and decided to go for it. The O-line gave me hours back there, and honestly, I didn’t throw the ball I wanted to, but Jack made a great catch.” It was still up to Jones to deliver, and that will likely be a recurring theme this season because Deerfield’s coaching staff sees almost endless offensive possibilities. “We can do so much with him, and we can be so diverse, so clever on offense,” Winiecki said. “He’s seeing the field so much better from his sophomore year to now. Our coaches do a great job scheming, but then we get out there and Mac sees something, makes a call, makes a decision.” Jones has the utmost confidence, even if he doesn’t have prototypical size for a quarterback. “I haven’t really thought of it as something that’s holding me back,” he said. “I’m going to go back there and believe that I’m the best guy throwing the ball. Anyone who’s on the other side, I still think I can outthrow them every day. Obviously, I don’t have the size on my side, but I still think I can go out there and compete for the team.” Since moving to the Central Suburban League’s South Division last year, Deerfield has faced an enrollment disadvantage in every division matchup. But with Jones setting the tone, the Warriors won’t be backing down from anyone. “We always know we’re the smaller team, maybe not the strongest team, but we have more heart,” Jones said. “I know I want to win it more than the guy in front of me. That’s what’s driving us to be great in this conference, wanting it more than the other teams. We’ll outsmart them. We’re going to run our plays better and just execute.” That level of confidence can be contagious, and the Warriors’ hope and expectation is it results in a bunch of wins and a return to the postseason. The Warriors went 4-5 last year after reaching the playoffs in six of the previous seven full seasons. “Knowing you have someone back there who’s going to make the right play every time makes things a lot easier on me to run routes and everyone else,” Schimanski said. “The whole offense really trusts him to do his thing. I’m excited to see where this takes us.” There’s no disputing who will lead the way. Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter.