Stevenson 34, Mundelein 14
After the first three weeks of the football season, not a lot made sense on the field for Stevenson.
The Patriots were 0-3 for the first time in decades, and the usually prolific running game was struggling to get its legs moving. One part of the offense that was just getting warmed up was the passing game.
On a rare Thursday night contest, the Patriots' passing game was more prolific than it had ever been.
Junior quarterback Zach Wujcik completed 16 of 30 passes for a school-record 316 yards and 4 touchdowns, as the Patriots rolled in their first road game of the season, 34-14 over Mundelein.
Stevenson improved to 2-3 with its second straight win and 2-1 in the North Suburban Lake Division.
"(Zach) is really starting to make progress," Stevenson coach Bill Mitz said. "We knew he could throw it and now he is showing everyone he can."
Wujcik has two sure-handed receivers in senior Daniel Morales and junior Michael Bilton, who combined to catch 3 TD passes against Mundelein (2-3, 0-2).
"We need to get the ball in their hands because they are great athletes," Mitz said. "We like our receivers and we think we have three pretty good backs, too."
The Patriot offense benefited early from a Mundelein miscue and promptly moved the ball downfield. Wujcik was nearly perfect on the opening drive, eventually finding Morales for a 21-yard strike and a 7-0 cushion.
But Wujcik's best work came just before halftime.
Stevenson held a 13-0 lead when Wujcik was faced with a tough fourth-down conversion at midfield. He calmly found Morales over the middle for 26 yards to keep the drive alive. One play later, Wujcik connected with Phillip Locker and the Patriots were in control at 21-0.
"I definitely have a lot of confidence knowing I got guys like Danny and Mike to throw to," Wujcik said. "They are both great athletes."
Mundelein got itself back into the game thanks to a Jamal Ross 1-yard scoring run late in the second quarter. But the Mustangs failed to carry that momentum into the second half.
"In the third and fourth quarters we just never got the ball back," Mundelein coach Dave Whitson said. "I thought we came out and played hard, but we just couldn't get anything going in the second half."
Wujcik never lost stride after halftime. Instead of connecting with Morales, he found a new favorite target in Bilton.
On only the third play from scrimmage in the third quarter, Wujcik hit Bilton on a slant pattern and one broken tackle later, it was a 47-yard touchdown pass. Bilton hauled in 4 of his 6 catches in the second half and posted a career-best 125 receiving yards.
"(Zach) is really starting to get his reads down and is really looking a lot better," Bilton said. "We expect to get the ball now and we know where it will be."
The Patriots earned their other score on a 2-yard scamper from senior Geoffrey Matthews. It was the first touchdown of the season for Matthews, who returned to action for the first time since injuring his knee in the season opener against Loyola.