Warren 35, Stevenson 27

Imagine feasting on a soft, gooey brownie in which every morsel was more delicious than the next -- and then being told that the brownie had absolutely no fat or calories in it.

That was Friday's game between Warren and Stevenson.

It had all the intensity and electricity of a playoff game -- with none of the heartbreak.

The two playoff-bound teams had reason to play with a sense of urgency, which delighted a packed stadium in Gurnee.

They were fighting for momentum that could possibly carry into the postseason. A slightly higher seed, and maybe even an early home playoff game were also on the line.

No wonder a few Warren players doused head coach Dave Mohapp with a cooler full of ice water in the wake of the Blue Devils' 35-27 action-packed victory. Winning the game certainly was important.

But, then again, it wasn't crucial. For either team.

Both Stevenson and Warren, which entered the game with 5 wins each, would have qualified with just 5 wins because they have more playoff points than any other five-win teams in Class 8A.

That will be Stevenson now.

With its sixth victory, Warren (6-3, 5-1 North Suburban Lake Division) will automatically qualify for the playoffs after missing them last year. With 41 points, Stevenson (5-4, 4-2) will get in on the strength of its schedule.

"It's a really good feeling," said Warren lineman Adam Tussing, who had the play of the game. "It's good to go into the playoffs playing strong."

Tussing certainly flexed his muscles late in the fourth quarter.

Down 28-21 with 8:54 left in the game, Stevenson began a drive at its own 33-yard line and methodically marched down the field to score a touchdown 13 plays and five minutes later.

But instead of kicking the extra point to tie the game, the Patriots elected to go for the two-point conversion.

Quarterback Zach Wujcik, who had been on target all night (13-of-28, 224 yards) had passed for two points earlier in the game. But on this play, he couldn't find an open receiver right away and Tussing pulled him down to the ground for a sack.

"It just felt good to get a big stop because I knew we needed it," Tussing said. "We had to step it up down by the goal line. They knew it was going to be a tight game and they wanted to get the two points to win."

Stevenson coach Bill Mitz said the nip-and-tuck nature of the game convinced him to take a chance on going for the win right then and there.

"We weren't stopping them at all on defense and I figured if we got two points there, it would put a little bit of heat on them to drive," Mitz said. "We didn't play very well defensively. We're not happy about that at all."

On their next possession, the Blue Devils certainly did drive ... right into the end zone. After chewing up three minutes, Warren capped off a six-play drive when sophomore Greg Kennedy (15 carries, 106 yards) scored his third touchdown of the game on a 24-yard run.

That made the scored 35-27.

By that point, there was only 1:11 left in the game and the Patriots say they let Kennedy run into the end zone untouched so that they could get the ball back and take one more shot at the end zone.

But Warren's defense held to end the game.

"It was a pretty tough loss. I got a little emotional out there," Wujcik said. "I liked (the decision to go for 2 points). We did it a few years ago when we were here. We went for 2 to tie the game and go into overtime. I thought it was a good decision at the time. It just backfired.

"But everyone starts 0-0 now. Everyone has new life next week."