Football: Quarterfinal scouting, Lake County

CLASS 8A

No. 4 New Trier Trevians (10-1) at No. 1 Stevenson Patriots (11-0)

When: 1 p.m., Saturday

Road to the quarterfinals: New Trier def. Glenbrook South (24-14) and Chicago Curie (28-27 in overtime); Stevenson def. Lyons (21-17) and Loyola Academy (24-21).

Playoff history: This is the 19th playoff appearance for New Trier in the last 20 years. However, over that time, the Trevians have advanced past the second round only four times. New Trier's best finish ever was a semifinals appearance in 1982. Stevenson is making its 26th straight playoff appearance. The Patriots advanced to their only state championship game in 2002 and lost to Lockport, 35-14. Last year, Stevenson was ousted in the final seconds of the Class 8A semifinals by Loyola, 15-14.

Coaches: Brian Doll, New Trier; Bill McNamara, Stevenson

Skinny: Stevenson has played nothing but home games thus far in the playoffs. The top-seeded Patriots are hoping they can wrap up their final home game of the season with a shiny red bow en route to their second straight semifinals appearance. If Stevenson is able to get by New Trier, a road game in the semifinals is a certainly, regardless the opponent. "That's kind of the way it should work out, right? You get to play a lot of home games in the playoffs if you're the top seed," Stevenson coach Bill McNamara said. "It's been nice for us. And I think there will be even more incentive for our seniors this week, knowing that this is their last home game ever at Stevenson."…The Patriots are preparing for a New Trier team that is similar to their first-round opponent, Lyons. Lyons had some success against Stevenson with a punishing rushing game that featured a workhorse running back in Leonard Ross (35 carries, 171 yards). Kevin Mulhern is that player for New Trier. He gets the bulk of the carries for the Trevians. He had 80 yards on 24 carries in a 14-7 loss to Warren in the second week of the season. "He's a very good running back," McNamara said of Mulhern. "He's going to try to help New Trier control the game offensively. They'll play field position and try to control the ball and the clock. That's what Lyons tried to do against us." New Trier also gets some rushing production out of quarterback Clay Czyzynski, who is just a sophomore. "We need to be ready to play," McNamara said. "New Trier might not have the big-name all-star kid, but they've got very solid football players all over the place."…Stevenson, meanwhile, has plenty of star power. Its defense, led by lineman Nick Dillon, hasn't allowed more than 24 points in a game all season. On average, the Patriots give up 11.1 points per game. Offensively, quarterback Willie Bourbon leads a potent offense that averages 30.8 points per game. He completed 12-of-23 passes for 214 yards last week against Loyola. His favorite targets are Cameron Green (6 catches for 83 yards vs. Loyola) and Jack Sorenson (3 catches, 60 yards). "We had a really good team win last week against Loyola," McNamara said. "Our offense controlled the ball and our defense got a lot of three-and-outs. We also accomplished all of our goals in the kicking game. We hope we can keep all that going this week."

Winner gets: A berth in the Class 8A semifinals against the winner of No. 6 Barrington at No. 2 Glenbard West.

- Patricia Babcock McGraw

CLASS 7A

No. 11 Libertyville Wildcats (8-3) at No. 15 Fenwick Friars (7-4)

When: 4 p.m., Saturday

Where: Morton West High School

Road to the quarterfinals: Libertyville def. Lincoln Park (47-0) and Addison Trail (17-7); Fenwick def. Highland Park (17-10) and Carmel (31-14).

Playoff history: Libertyville, which won the Class 7A state championship in 2004 and placed second in 2003, missed the playoffs last year and hasn't been past the second round since the state title run. Fenwick is making its seventh playoff appearance in the last nine years. This is the fourth time in school history the Friars have advanced past the second round. Their best finish was a semifinals appearance in 1995.

Coaches: Mike Jones, Libertyville; Gene Nudo, Fenwick

Skinny: Addison Trail was known for its potent rushing attack. Until it met up last week with Libertyville, that is. The Wildcats emphatically shut down Addison Trail, which finished with a measly 5 rushing yards. That kind of effort will be needed again this week against a Fenwick team that loves to keep the ball on the ground. Workhorse running back Pat Donahue rolled up 180 yards on 39 carries in the Friars' win over Carmel last week. "We did very well against the run last week. We created a wall and made Addison Trail very one-dimensional," Libertyville coach Mike Jones said. "Fenwick is very good at running the ball, too. They've got a power running game. They're looking to hit you in the mouth and just run hard at you. This will be another really good challenge for us defensively. It's different schemes than Addison Trail, but we should have some confidence against the run after last week."…Fenwick will toss in some passes here and there to keep a defense on its toes. Quarterback Jack Beneventi completed 8-of-13 passes for 91 yards against Carmel. He'll have to be keenly aware of the Libertyville pass rush, though. Last week against Addison Trail, the Wildcats rolled up an astounding 9 sacks, with lineman Jordan McInerney getting five of them himself. "Nine sacks is our season-high," Jones said. "Our athleticism led to a lot of that. I think it's so important that our defense is playing so well right now. They're slowing down our opponents and creating more possessions for us."…Libertyville quarterback Riley Lees is making the most of just about every possession. Last week, he rushed for 214 yards and 2 touchdowns on 25 carries. Lees is quick and elusive but can also air out the ball. He accounts for the vast majority of Libertyville's offense each week. "We just have to make sure that we take the pressure off Riley," Jones said. "We want to give him as much as help as we can." Running backs Noah Moderwell, Sean Ferraro and Taylor Rossmann combined for about 70 rushing yards last week for Libertyville. "I thought we played pretty well last week overall, but I was just telling the kids that I don't think we've played our best game yet," Jones said. "So let's make that happen this week. They are so excited to still be playing. They're excited to play well because they want to keep this going."

Winner gets: A berth in the Class 7A semifinals against the winner of No. 4 Geneva at No. 1 Cary-Grove.

- Patricia Babcock McGraw