Sean O’Connell entered his final football season at Holy Spirit Prep loaded with responsibilities.

As the lone returning senior with playing experience and the new quarterback, the Cougars’ fortunes this season may very well rise and fall with him.

They were up Sept. 7 when he completed six of 11 passes for 171 yards, a staggering 15.5 per attempt, and a touchdown, and recorded five tackles at safety in a 35-28 win over Grace Baptist. O’Connell also rushed for 27 yards.

“Sean brings an intensity to the game that many of our young players just don’t understand yet,” Holy Spirit coach Andre Taylor said. “His leadership on offense and defense and desire to make big plays for the team has been the model for other members of the team to follow.”

The victory evened Holy Spirit’s record at 1-1 overall but also gave the Cougars a 1-0 start to West Division play in the Glory for Christ League.

“With limited coaching and experience Sean has used his love for the sport of football and desire to win as a motivation to execute our offense effectively,” Taylor said. “Taking over as the single senior on the 2012 team who actually played on that team from a year ago, as well as being new to the QB role, Sean has been hurdling obstacles from the start.”