Time for a new start at Stevenson

The digital clock is still ticking in the Stevenson weight room.

It was set by the football coaches last winter, 200 days before the team's 2008 season opener against Loyola.

With opening day slated for Aug. 30, the clock, which counts down days, hours, minutes and seconds, is another 17 days from hitting zero.

Time has run out, however, on the Patriots' summer vacation.

On Wednesday, along with every other high school football team in the state of Illinois, Stevenson opened its season with the first day of official practice.

The Patriots got off and running with a full day of work, a morning practice and then an afternoon practice, with a team lunch in between.

"Practice went really good (in the morning). Everyone looked really good," standout offensive lineman Ben Samson said during the lunch break. "Getting on the field felt really good. We can't wait to get back out there again."

An added incentive for the Patriots is the field itself.

This summer, Stevenson joined the growing list of schools in Lake County that have installed artificial turf in their football stadiums.

Carmel started the craze several years ago and then Libertyville and Lake Zurich joined the party. Since then, Lake Forest and Grayslake Central have also added turf.

But not only did Stevenson get a new field, the school also installed a brand new scoreboard.

"The new field gives even more excitement to the start of the season," said Stevenson star receiver Michael Bilton. "It looks really nice. Everything is coming together. We've got a lot of nice stuff. Hopefully, we can play well, too."

With 16 starters back, and redemption motivating them after last year's atypical 5-5 campaign, which included a 27-0 loss to Loyola in the season opener, the Patriots should be one of the best teams in Lake County this season.

"A lot of guys played last year," Stevenson coach Bill Mitz said. "There's a lot to be excited about. It will be another fun year here."

Bilton, who will also play defense, handle punts and kickoffs and punt, is one of the best all-around athletes in the North Suburban Conference and will team up with veteran quarterback Zach Wujcik to give the Patriots a lethal air attack.

Wujcik passed for more than 1,000 yards last year and will be protected by a line anchored by Samson, who committed to Western Michigan over the summer.

"I'm very excited," Wujcik said. "We're more experienced this year. We're more intense and we're working harder this year.

"We see that clock in the weight room every day and it's amazing how close (the season opener) is getting. We can't wait."

Meanwhile, the start of practice meant that neighboring Lake Zurich officially began defense of its state title.

Last season, the Bears won the Class 7A state championship by defeating Wheaton Warrenville South 7-0 in the title game in Champaign. In the semifinals, Lake Zurich beat Carmel, which should also be one of the area's best teams this season, en route to a 13-1 season.

And speaking of one-loss seasons, Grant is coming off its best season in school history.

The Bulldogs ran the table during the regular season but lost in the second round of the playoffs to Lemont, 21-7, to finish 10-1.

The other Bulldogs in the North Suburban Prairie Division - from Wauconda - also had a memorable season last year. Wauconda won seven games, its most victories since 1998, and qualified for the playoffs for only the second time in 16 years.

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