FORTVILLE — As a kid growing up, Mt. Vernon junior quarterback Gehrig Slunaker dreamed of pulling down highlight-reel, first-down catches and hauling in pylon-diving, touchdown receptions.
Whenever his father, Jeff tossed him the pigskin, he could almost hear the imaginary crowd shower him with applause.
“Being in the front yard with my dad as a kid, I always wanted to be a receiver,” Slunaker reminisced. “Just seeing players make all these crazy catches, I always wanted to do that, but after I would catch it, I would throw it back to my dad and he would tell me how I had a good arm.”
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He wasn’t the only one who noticed the zip on Slunaker’s throws.
When he started playing in the Greenfield Youth Football League, Slunaker was quickly moved under center and became a permanent fixture in the pocket.
“Once we got out to practice with the team, they put me at quarterback, and I just fell in love with it from there,” Slunaker said.
His passion and composure led to a starting role as a freshman at Greenfield-Central in 2018, but it also came with some growing pains.
Behind 105 completions in 204 pass attempts, Slunaker threw for 10 touchdowns and 1,289 yards. However, those 17 interceptions were a problem — at least until he honed his mechanics and made the switch over to Mt. Vernon High School in 2019.
As a sophomore newcomer, Slunaker had to earn his spot at Mt. Vernon, sharing quarterback duties with senior Shaun Shipley. He saw reps at wide receiver and other positions, but once he claimed the starting role, he owned it.
“Honestly, I wasn’t really sure how it was going to go (coming over here from Greenfield), but they welcomed me in with open arms,” Slunaker said. “Right now, I feel like I’ve been here my whole life. It’s been great.”
With Slunaker leading the Marauders’ offense last year, the numbers echoed his assessment.
In 14 games, he completed 133 of 249 passes for 2,080 yards and 14 touchdowns. He rushed for 188 yards with two touchdowns. Head coach Mike Kirschner’s Marauders averaged 158.2 yards passing a game and racked up 60 touchdowns overall.
More noticeably, Slunaker minimized his turnovers to five interceptions in Year 2, and he’s not looking to regress anytime soon.
In the offseason, Slunaker trains in Westfield at X-Factor Sports Performance and Quarterback Academy with owner and head sports coach Anthony Morelli. The former Big Ten quarterback is a native of Pittsburgh and was a two-year starter at Penn State.
Morelli later signed with the Arizona Cardinals as a backup quarterback before becoming an instructor. Slunaker has worked with Morelli for the past two years.
“Once I got here, I was just happy to be part of something that I knew could be great. I just wanted to help the team anyway that I could,” Slunaker said. “Shaun was a great guy, and we got along good. That situation wasn’t frustrating. I actually enjoyed it, playing another position. It kind of helped me learn the offense, honestly.”
As a junior returning starter, Slunaker knows the playbook inside and out, and he remains an avid student. He’s a mild film junkie, watching breakdowns of his offense, his throws, opponents and pinpointing areas he needs to correct.
“There are a lot of things I want to prove to my team, being a leader, to everyone that doubted us. I’m always trying to prove something with every rep,” Slunaker said.
The top goal on his priority list is team-orientated.
After reaching the Class 4A’s final four last year with an 11-3 record, Slunaker is eager to get Mt. Vernon over the hump after the Marauders lost 28-3 against Evansville Memorial at semistate.
His second objective is to follow in his family’s footsteps.
Slunaker’s dad was a football player and baseball player at Greenfield. He later continued his baseball career at IUPUI as an outfielder. Slunaker’s cousin, Blake, was a standout lineman at Mt. Vernon before he headed to the University of St. Francis in Joliet, Ill. to play football in 2016.
“That’s honestly my main goal, individually, at least,” Slunaker said. “I want to head off to college ahead of the game and no debt.”
The opportunity is there for the 6-foot-2, 189-pounder, who can rifle a baseball at around 80 mph and has launched the pigskin 70 yards on a few occasions.
Efficiency, though, is his aim. With execution and accuracy comes points and wins, which is what the Marauders are seeking with two straight winning seasons under Kirschner at 18-7 overall.
“We got close last year, and we worked hard every day to get there, and now we saw how much harder we need to work to get to our main goal,” Slunaker said. “The semistate loss was humbling for sure. We saw what else is out there, and what we have to work to get to.”
Since summer conditioning resumed last week, Slunaker and Mt. Vernon’s returnees, such senior Rylan Cole, have a one-track mind.
Last year’s six-game winning streak was fun, Cole remarked, and capturing the program’s first regional championship was something to be proud of, but it’s not the pinnacle.
“After being stuck inside and seeing all the guys again, it’s been great,” Slunaker said. “We know if we put in the work, we can make something special happen here. We’re just excited every day to go to work.”
Summer training has a different feel with COVID-19 remaining a factor, but despite fall sports’ potential future in 2020 still unknown, the Marauders aren’t letting the uncontrollable hinder their anticipation or expectations.
“There’s no fear. I think, we’re doing a good job of keeping everybody safe and apart. We’re all wearing masks out here. I fee safe,” Slunaker said.
“(North Central shutting down this week) does raise concerns because you just don’t know what’s going to happen next. But, as far for us, right now, we’re still planning to play.”
They plan to put up points, too.
Slunaker had three games where he threw for 200-plus yards as a sophomore and posted four contests with two or more touchdown passes.
Cole, an Indiana Football Coaches Association Junior All-State selection, had 26 receptions for 254 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 950 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Junior Ashden Gentry is the team’s top returning receiver with 618 yards and four touchdown catches last year.
“It’s going to be lots of fun. Last year, we probably had the best time, and this year, I really think it’s going to be even more fun,” Cole said. “I’m excited to see what we can do and what Gehrig will do.”
