Like cousin Matt Ryan, McGlinchey making his mark at Penn Charter

WHILE HE stirred no memories of his famous cousin, Mike McGlinchey last Friday lifted the number of high school pass-throwers in the maternal portion of his family to six.

Considering his height (6-9) and weight (275), he also likely became the biggest kid in city history to whip one downfield.

McGlinchey, a senior at Penn Charter who's bound for Notre Dame, did not text or call Matt Ryan, the PC/Boston College product now creating a NFL-wide buzz for the Atlanta Falcons, about his chance to rack up passing yardage.

Then again, the way-downfield bomb, launched from a wildcat formation in the waning moments of a 27-20 loss to Malvern Prep, did not quite connect with another D-I commit, Daryl Worley (West Virginia).

And perhaps McGlinchey will get to deliver the message in person this Sunday at, ah, let's say roughly 5 p.m.

You got it. Matty Ice is comin' to town and numerous folks in his sizable clan, plus many more from Penn Charter, will be there.

"I'm thinking there'll be 50 to 60 people from our family, and maybe 100-and-change total," McGlinchey said Tuesday, before the Quakers' practice. "I do know one thing: We're going to have a very big tailgate party."

But back to the pass . . . after some background . . .

Matt Ryan and his brothers, Mike and John, were star quarterbacks for PC ('03), Malvern ('00) and PC ('08), respectively. Their cousin, John Loughery, had wonderful moments at that same position over three seasons for PC ('11). These days, the Quakers' signal-caller is a soph named Pat McCain, and he's also part of the family.

There's more. McGlinchey's brother, Frank, a sophomore, plays guard and middle linebacker. McCain's brother, Jake, a freshman, is a backup tailback-LB. And let's not forget Mary McGlinchey, an eighth-grader involved with field hockey, basketball and surely something-or-other come spring.

Offensively, Mike McGlinchey spent that Malvern game catching passes at tight end (4-100) - Worley posted 7-175 numbers and the 275 yards enabled the future "Patty Ice" to surpass Matt's best PC effort by 77 yards - or leading rushing plays as an H-back. But then, there he was, taking a snap on first-and-10 from PC's 27.

Everywhere on PC's picturesque campus, eyes bugged out. Time almost stood still on the famous clock tower.

"It was a spur-of-the-moment thing," McGlinchey said. "We needed something really quick [9.9 seconds remained], and it was, 'Let's see what happens with it.' I think Daryl got a hand on it, but I didn't put enough air under it. It was too much on a line. Just threw it to an open spot with the hope that it was going toward him.

"In grade school, they'd stick me at halfback and let me throw, because I do have a pretty good arm. But this was a first for high school. It was fun. Who doesn't want to be a quarterback? Would have been more fun if I'd completed it."

Does McGlinchey want a chance at an encore?

"If it's going to be successful, sure," he said, smiling. "Not if it's not."

Hey, the Linc's parking lot could be the scene for a quick tutorial. And that wouldn't be the first one.

"This past summer Matt had a 2-week vacation and we were all down the shore," McGlinchey said. "We went to a park in North Wildwood and I was running routes for him and John [senior at Brown University] and Pat. He taught me a few things, but at that point I felt I'd only be playing tackle this year for PC.

"This time, nobody was in the park. If there had been, Matt would have been just like he was a few years ago when we were doing the same thing and people recognized him. He posed for pictures. Talked to them. He was great."

Matt Ryan last visited the Linc in 2010, suffering a 31-17 loss in Week 6.

"We were all there for that one, too," Mike McGlinchey said. "Scattered throughout the stadium. It's neat how so many people help us. Family and friends all seem to say to us, 'You can have our tickets this week.' My brother, Frank, and I were in the nosebleeds."

And they did nothing to cause the gushing of red stuff.

"We didn't cheer too much for Atlanta," Mike said. "But when the Eagles would score and we wouldn't cheer for them, the people kinda knew what was up. They picked on us, a little.

"Blood is thicker than water. We are all full-fledged Falcons fans. We live and die by them. That's how we are as a family. When Matt was in college, everybody was a diehard BC fan. And when I get to Notre Dame, everything will shift. Whole family? Diehard Notre Dame fans."

The legacy was started by John Loughery Sr., who starred at PC (class of '78) and was a 2-year starter at BC in the era right before Doug Flutie. He has no brothers and his son, John, now at Elon University, is an only child, but his five sisters - Patty Hartman, Debbie Tarpey, Bernie Ryan, Janet McCain, Janet McGlinchey - have produced all kinds of quality athletes for high school and college teams. There are four more gridders who are not yet in high school - Matt, Jim and Tom McGlinchey, along with Seamus McCain.

"I could see them coming to PC," Mike said. "And then there'll be a lot more generations . . . "

This will be a special weekend even before Eagles-Falcons. PC hosts Haverford School Friday afternoon; that night will bring a 21st birthday celebration for Dan McCain, unable to play sports because of a heart condition diagnosed at birth (Mike: "He's the best football fan in the family; goes to everybody's games"); and everyone will be at Franklin Field Saturday for Brown and John Ryan vs. Penn.

At Notre Dame, Mike McGlinchey says he'll be prepared for tackle or tight end, whichever is deemed the best fit by the coaches.

And, considering his size and talent, not to mention work ethic, it's impossible not to think that Mike could someday play in the NFL.

"Long way away, but that's obviously my goal," he said. "A whole lot of things to do first."

Let's flash ahead to, say, 2017. Matt Ryan is still shredding defenses and maybe one of his protectors/targets is . . .

"Oh, man," Mike said. "If that happened, I'd be cherishing every moment.

"It's so awesome being able to follow Matt's career. The best thing is, he hasn't changed a bit. He's still Matt. It's a great story. Everybody roots for the good guy. And Matt's definitely that."

Contact Ted Silary at silaryt@phillynews.com. High school coverage online at www.philly.com/rally.