J.R. Budmayr had been dreaming about Friday night since he was in first grade.

At the time, he sat in the student section at Marian Central and watched his brother, Brody, win the starting quarterback job in 2003 and lead the the Hurricanes to the 2004 state quarterfinals.

The next season, J.R. inched closer to the field. He served as the ball boy as his brother, Jon, developed into a Division I prospect, leading the Hurricanes to a state championship appearance in 2006 and a state semifinal in 2007 before continuing his career at the University of Wisconsin.

Friday, J.R. took the final step out onto the field. The kid who got the nickname “Chewy” as a teething toddler had grown into a 6-foot-3, 200-pound senior. He took the snap and for the seventh time since 2003, a Budmayr started the season at quarterback for the Hurricanes.

“Being around it from such a young age, you think about it all the time what it’d be like to play varsity quarterback for Marian,” J.R. said. “It’s always meant a lot to our family. It’s always been a big deal. I’m definitely glad I’m in the position now. I just want to make my brothers proud and keep it going.”

J.R. comes from a distinguished bloodline at Marian. What the Mannings are to the NFL, the Budmayrs are to the Hurricanes.

His father, Rick, was a longtime assistant coach for the football team, and his mother, Jackie, headed the girls basketball program for 13 seasons. They handed down their passion for athletics to their son, Travis, who played defensive line and daughter, Tessa, who was a standout basketball player, as well as to the three quarterbacks.

But it took more than just a family name for J.R. to earn the starting spot. Through summer camp and the early fall, J.R. and Kolton Rominski battled for the vacancy created when Billy Bahl graduated and went on to Miami of Ohio.

Two weeks before the season opener, coach Mike Maloney sat in an empty classroom with his two contenders. He spent an entire weekend watching film from the Hurricanes’ spring and fall camps and was prepared to make a decision.

Budmayr’s arm strength, leadership and decision making had won him the job.

“In Chewy, you could see a physical release and a sense of pride kind of emanate from him,” Maloney said. “It was noticeable.”

J.R.’s first call was to his brother, Jon, who is now a graduate assistant at Wisconsin. Jon coached his brother through the process, telling him to embrace the competition.

“I was ecstatic for him,” Jon said. “I knew what he put into it. I knew what it meant to him. It was so great for him to earn that. It wasn’t given to him. That was kind of everything he worked for.

“The biggest thing we’ve stressed is be Chewy. He didn’t do it trying to be Jon or trying to be Brody. To me that was the most satisfying thing.”

Jon’s first question: “Is the No. 5 spot coming back for one more year?”

The oldest Budmayr brother, Travis, wore No. 55 on the defensive line. Brody and Jon wore No. 5, as did J.R. last season.

J.R., though, went with No. 7.

His father, Rick, didn’t find out until J.R. took his jersey home for the first time last week. And there it was in red block letters – No. 7.

“I think it’s just further proof that he’s his own person,” Rick said. “He’s very independent. That was his decision.”

In this way, Budmayr is striving for two goals this season. By wearing No. 5 last season and by earning the starting spot, he is fulfilling the family legacy. Yet, at the same time, with each of his two touchdowns and 172 passing yards in Friday’s 21-14 Week 1 victory at Crystal Lake South, he is writing his own narrative.

“This year [my brothers] told me, go make a name for myself,” J.R. said. “The number switch is kind of symbolic of that.”

So whether you call him J.R., as he’s listed on his online recruiting profile, or Joseph, as his dad calls him, or Chewy, as almost everyone else does, what they ultimately call No. 7 at Marian will be determined this season.