Like a lot of high school kickers, Joliet Catholic senior Patrick Durkin comes off as quiet, almost introspective — a thinker.

But he doesn’t think too much. Doing so might interfere with his ability to determine the outcome of games for the Hilltoppers.

“I think it’s all routine, to be honest,” said Durkin, a lifelong soccer player who turned to kicking footballs in eighth grade. “I think the more you can be focused on your routine, when you get into these pressure moments, you’re focusing on just what you’ve done a hundred times in training.

“That kind of blocks out the noise.”

Durkin helped bring the noise with four field goals Friday night as host Joliet Catholic defeated archrival Providence 19-0 in a CCL/ESCC crossover game at Memorial Stadium.

As easy as counting them down, Durkin converted kicks of 27, 22, 39 and 28 yards for the Hilltoppers (2-0). For good measure, he added the extra point after a 23-yard touchdown burst by junior running back Keegan Farnaus in the second quarter.

That offset a strong performance by senior quarterback Collin Sheehan, who ended up completing 6 for 10 passes for 106 yards to lead Providence (1-1).

But wait … there’s more.

Durkin also punts and kicks off, efforts that consistently pinned down the Celtics. All that was plenty of support for the work of Farnaus and senior running back HJ Grigsby, who carried 21 times for 74 yards.

Grigsby has a term for what Durkin brings to JCA.

“He’s a secret weapon,” Grigsby said. “Nobody knows we have them until they get on that field. He kicks off, and they know. He’s amazing.

“You can see it in practice. The way he practices, he just knows he’s going for the moment. And when he gets his moment, he’s going to get it.”

Not much seems to faze the 5-foot-11, 175-pound Durkin, a three-year varsity player.

After jumping into football in eighth grade, he went to kicking camps and wound up ranked nationally in his age group. From there, he found coach Chris Nendick, a former Northern Illinois kicker. Before long, Durkin was plying his trade for the Hilltoppers.

As a freshman and sophomore, Durkin played soccer and football simultaneously, which created logistical issues that ultimately led him to drop the former to focus on he latter.

His game plan is to kick in college, and while the destination is to be determined, Nendick thinks Durkin has a bright future.

“He works incredibly hard,” Nendick said. “He’s always made a lot of kicks and always been super accurate. He’s not a man of many words, but he lets his body of work speaks for him.”

So does JCA coach Jake Jaworski, who praised Durkin in his postgame remarks to his team.

“He’s done an awesome job kicking off, and the way he did it from a field goal standpoint and an extra point standpoint, and don’t forget his punting was tremendous,” Jaworski said. “I told him on the sideline he was the MVP of the game.”

Durkin isn’t only a kicker for the Hilltoppers. He also plays cornerback in practice, which he views as a form of leadership.

“Even though I’m a kicker, I like to do other positional drills,” he said. “I don’t want to practice for 30 minutes and leave. I want to be with the team.

“Even though I’m not playing that position, I’m still with the team and it just helps us trust each other when we’re on the field,”

That said, Durkin may seem introspective, but don’t mistake that for weakness. He has a killer instinct.

When he kicks, does he know it’s good?

“Yes sir,” he said with a big smile.

Gregg Voss is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.