Stevenson pulls out 50-49 thriller in OT
When Stevenson scored in the first overtime to pull within a point of Glenbrook South Friday night in Lincolnshire, Stevenson wide receiver Nate Johnson fully expected what was coming next.
His coach Bill Mitz was not going to make the safe call and send out the kicking unit to tie the game. No, Mitz was going to keep Johnson and the rest of the offense on the field and go for the two-point conversion - or bust.
Johnson rewarded Mitz for the gamble by pulling down a Kevin Earl pass to give the Pats (2-0) a wild 50-49 win.
"I knew we were going to go for it and just try to win the game," Johnson said.
To Mitz it was a no-brainer to go for two.
"I've done it all my life," Mitz said. "Either (Glenbrook South coach Mike Noll) was going to do it, or we were going to do it."
Noll actually elected to go for two after the Titans (1-1) scored in the opening possession of overtime. And Glenbrook South running back Kyle Kwasniewski found the end zone. A holding penalty nullified the play, and with the ball spotted on the 13-yard line, Noll sent in Luke Harrison to kick the extra point.
The holding penalty in overtime was just as critical as another holding call near the end of regulation. Kwasniewski broke three tackles and scampered 28 yards into the end zone for an apparent go-ahead touchdown with 37 seconds left in the game, but it was called back and the Titans failed to score.
"We felt that if we kept battling and matched their intensity, we could win the game," Noll said. "And we did.
"Or at least we felt we did."
Noll's Titans felt they had stolen one from the Patriots, who had a first-and-10 at the GBS 12 with less than 5:00 left in the game. But a sack of Earl by Peter Mann followed by Brian Schmidt's second interception of the game gave the Titans the ball with 3:23 left and the score tied.
The near-capacity crowd saw a game that had an Arena Football-like pace in the first half. Stevenson tallied 422 yards of total offense in the first half as it staked a 35-28 lead. While Stevenson had no trouble gaining yardage, Glenbrook South relied on some big plays to exchange blows with the Pats.
Stevenson was led by fullback Mark Weisman, who carried the ball 28 times for 224 yards and 3 touchdowns. He wasn't the only Patriot with gaudy numbers. Earl finished 11-of-14 for 277 yards and 3 touchdowns. His favorite target was Johnson, who in addition to the game-winning conversion, caught 6 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns.
"Kevin and I worked hard all off season throwing the ball," Johnson said. "We have great chemistry."
Stevenson controlled the line of scrimmage in the first drive of the game, systematically marching into Glenbrook South territory. But senior defensive back Brian Schmidt picked off an Earl pass and ran it back 58 yards for a touchdown to give Glenbrook South an early 7-0 lead. Stevenson answered back with an 85-yard, 12-play drive that culminated in a 4-yard Weisman run. But GBS junior John Strickland ran back the ensuing kickoff 79 yards to give the Titans first-and-10 on the Pats' 13. A Michael Hirsch draw play on GBS' first offensive play gave the Titans a 14-7 lead.
The two teams continued to swap blows: Johnson's 38-yard touchdown pass from Earl, an Garvey reception from Mike Pullano on a fade pattern, and an 80-yard rush by Weisman. A tackle-for-loss by Stevenson's Brion Wood forced one of GBS' two punts on the day, and it allowed the Pats to get their first lead after Weisman scored on a 1-yard run.
Glenbrook South answered to make it 28-28 with 4:01 left, but Earl connected with Johnson for their second touchdown pass of the day, a 78 yard connection.
"The play was designed to draw the defensive back in," Earl said of a sideline hook-and-go. "Kevin hit me as perfectly as he has all summer, and it worked out when their defender slipped."
The Patriots' defense responded with another defensive stop, highlightged by Alexander Friedman breaking up a pass on 3rd-and-16.
It was one of the few defensive highlights for the Patriots who struggled to stop Glenbrook South's backfield tandem of Hirsch and Kwasniewski and Hirsch.
"We have a lot of work to do," Mitz said. "We weren't tackling well tonight. But then again, that Hirsch is tough to tackle. It was just a wild game."