Stevenson, Homewood-Floosmoor promises to be a good game
Lake County game of the week: Homewood-Flossmoor (1-0) at Stevenson (1-0)
When: 7:30 p.m., Friday
Last week: Homewood-Flossmoor def. Downers Grove South, 56-15; Stevenson def. Palatine, 26-24.
Technically, it's not a rematch between Stevenson and Homewood-Flossmoor Friday night in Lincolnshire.
The teams aren't the same. There have been notable changes on the rosters for both Class 8A prep football heavyweights.
But Homewood-Flossmoor coach Craig Buzea joked that he wouldn't mind playing for the exact same prize that was up for grabs in Champaign last November, the last time these two teams met.
"Maybe we could play for the state championship trophy again, make it a traveling trophy in this series," Buzea said with a hearty laugh. "I don't think Stevenson would go for that, though."
Probably not. But this might be as close as we'll get to a state championship-caliber game in Week 2.
Stevenson, the defending Class 8A state champion, defeated Homewood-Flossmoor twice last season, including a 31-25 victory in the title game at Memorial Stadium at the University of Illinois. Homewood-Flossmoor is currently ranked the No. 1 Class 8A team in the state of Illinois. Stevenson is No. 3.
The game kicks off at Stevenson at 7:30 p.m.
"The memory of last year will be embedded in all of our minds forever," Stevenson coach Bill McNamara said the state championship victory. "However, last year will have no impact on this year's game. We better be ready to play because they are loaded with returning talent. They have athletes all over the field. Crazy talent. There is a reason (Homewood-Flossmoor) is listed as the No. 1 team in the state. This will be a great challenge for our team, and we will be up for it."
Homewood-Flossmoor, a pass-first team, returns some of its top weapons in the passing game.
Quarterback Bryce Gray threw for 2,353 yards and 24 touchdowns last year, completing 63 percent of his passes. He had only 5 interceptions.
He's got three of his top five receivers back from last season, including Kendric Pryor, who led the Vikings with 704 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns. He's being heavily recruited by multiple Big Ten teams, including Iowa and Wisconsin.
Also back are twin brother running backs Deante and Devonte Harley-Hampton, who are top receiving targets as well. Deante rushed for a team-high 1,596 yards and 22 touchdowns last season while rolling up 236 receiving yards and 4 touchdown catches. Devonte rushed for 1,148 yards and 19 touchdowns and had 255 receiving yards and 3 touchdown catches.
Gray threw for nearly 400 yards in Homewood-Flossmoor's big 56-15 win over Downers Grove South in last week's season opener.
"We had some big plays (against Downers Grove South)," Buzea said. "We're a throwing team. We've got a quarterback who has a big-time arm. He's been on varsity for three years and is a two-year starter. He's a really good athlete,"
Buzea says that Gray, also a star baseball player, is getting some interest for football from Ivy League schools and smaller Division I programs. At just 6-feet, his size is probably preventing bigger schools from taking a closer look.
"He may be an inch or two short and a tenth of a second slower than some of these (college coaches) would like, but we wouldn't trade Bryce for the world," Buzea said. "He does a great job for us."
Protecting Gray is a line that returns three of five starters, including heavily coveted Desmond Bland, a 6-foot-4, 320-pound senior who, according to Buzea, is being recruited by "pretty much everybody."
"We started off well (against Downers Grove South), but as the game went on and we got a comfortable lead, it was like the kids were bored. They lost their focus," Buzea said. "That's a big concern. We can't just turn it on and off, and especially not when you're playing a team like Stevenson. We need to keep our focus and concentration.
"Stevenson has an explosive offense, maybe even better than they were last year."
The Stevenson offense got a scare last week against Palatine when quarterback Jack Sorenson, a receiver on the state title team last year, was sacked hard to the ground and hit his head. He left the game and did not return.
The Patriots subbed in back-up Aidan O'Connell, who calmly completed 17-of-20 passes for 222 yards and 3 touchdowns to lead Stevenson to a 26-24 win. He connected on his first 11 passes.
"O'Connell played great. I am very proud of how he handled a tough situation," McNamara said. "He would be a starting quarterback for many schools. I have 100 percent confidence in his abilities. He is simply a little different player than Jack (Sorenson)."
Sorenson, who is also a threat to run with the ball, is expected to play against Homewood-Flossmoor. It was determined that he did not suffer a concussion. The Vikings remember him well.
"We remember him from last year and we remember him when he was a sophomore and was the sophomore quarterback," Buzea said. "We know he has the ability to pass or run and that's what we're preparing for."
O'Connell's top target in the passing game last week was Henry Marchese, who caught 6 passes for 119 yards. Meanwhile, running back Tyler Vincent rushed for a team-high 92 yards and a touchdown. He also caught a touchdown pass.
The Stevenson defense came up with a big interception on a Palatine drive in the final moments of the game to preserve a close-shave victory.
"I was very impressed with our entire defense," McNamara said. "We are young and inexperienced but we improved with every snap."
Young and inexperienced or not, Stevenson is still the team to emulate in Class 8A, says Buzea, whose team also lost its Week 2 regular season game to Stevenson last season, despite being up by 14 points at halftime.
"We're about to play the best team in the state," Buzea said of Stevenson. "It doesn't get any better than that. Stevenson is where we want to be. We've heard a lot about the key guys we brought back, but Stevenson is a team that just re-loads, they plug one guy in after another. We're not quite to that point yet, but that's where we want to be."