Scouting New Trier @ Stevenson

Class 8A

No. 15 New Trier (5-4) at No. 2 Stevenson (9-0)

When: 7 p.m., Friday

Last week: New Trier lost to Maine South, 28-14; Stevenson def. Warren, 26-14.

Playoff experience: New Trier has been to the playoffs 20 times since 1981, including the last seven years. The last time the Trevians' advanced past the second round was in 2003 when they lost in the Class 8A quarterfinals to Maine South (49-7). Last year, New Trier lost in the second round to Barrington, 7-2. Stevenson has qualified for 21 straight playoff berths, dating back to 1989. The last time the Patriots advanced past the second round was in both 2004 and 2005. Both years, just like New Trier, they lost in the Class 8A quarterfinals to Maine South (46-15 in 2004 and 23-10 in 2005). In 2002, Stevenson advanced to its only state championship game, losing to Lockport in Class 8A action, 35-14. Last year, Stevenson lost in the first round to, you guessed it, Maine South, 63-29.

Skinny: It probably hasn't been difficult for New Trier and Stevenson to get a handle on each other. They share two common opponents this season in Warren and Glenbrook South. Stevenson holds the upper hand in terms of the head-to-head results with those teams. The Patriots went 2-0 against Warren and Glenbrook South and New Trier went 0-2. But New Trier played Warren in the season opener and Glenbrook South in Week 5. "We've gotten a lot more consistent since then," New Trier coach Matt Irvin said. "We've played a really good schedule this season and we hope that helps us in the playoffs." - Irvin says that his team has been fairly well balanced on offense this season, with quarterback Stuart Brown passing for 1,089 yards and a handful of running backs, including Isaac Perlmutter, John Higgins and Kevin Samuelson, each rushing for between 300 and 400 yards. "It depends on the game," Irvin said. "We've thrown 28 times in a game and we've thrown 11. We'll run a lot and sometimes we'll pass more. It really depends on who we're playing, but it's nice that we can do both." Irvin said his team can also show some fortitude. The Trevians lost to Maine South last week but were down 21-0 at halftime and cut their deficit to 21-14 before Maine South eventually scored again. "We're not playing for moral victories," Irvin said. "But that did show a lot. We've been in some tight games this year." - Stevenson's only close game of the season was a 50-49 victory over Glenbrook South in overtime. New Trier lost to Glenbrook South 36-14 and Irvin says that Stevenson is similar to Glenbrook South in that both teams have very strong fullbacks. Stevenson has Air Force-bound Mark Weisman, who carried 43 times for 233 yards against Warren last week, while Glenbrook South has Harvard-bound Michael Hirsch, who is also a workhorse. "It's nice to have an option like those guys at fullback," Irvin said. "But Stevenson is difficult to prepare for because they've also got a good kicking game, a good quarterback (Kevin Earl) and a really dangerous big-play receiver (Nate Johnson). They can score a lot of points on you." Stevenson is averaging 37.9 points per game. - Stevenson coach Bill Mitz says that a key in this game will be how well his defense can keep points off the board against an offense that likes to keep you guessing. "They (New Trier) run a lot of routes, a lot of combinations," Mitz said. "We're going to have to be ready for everything they throw at us."