High-octane Stevenson moves ahead
Those extra practice drills this week that Mark Weisman called "gassers" and "Miami's" just might have helped save his Stevenson football teammate Matt Harris some embarrassment.
Engaged in a fierce first-round playoff battle with New Trier, whose hurry-up offense tested their conditioning during Friday night's Class 8A matchup in Lincolnshire, the Patriots were ahead only two touchdowns when Harris found the energy - and extra gear - to make a defensive play that sealed the visitor's fate.
Indeed, he was not gassed.
Harris' 71-yard interception return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter sealed Stevenson's 28-7 win, propelling the Patriots into Round 2 for the first time since 2006.
"As long as the quarterback didn't catch me I didn't care what happened," said a smiling Harris, who, like Weisman, plays both running back and linebacker. "If that quarterback would have caught me I never would have heard the end of it.
"It's good, though. It was a team effort on defense. The quarterback is a good player."
That quarterback, Trevians senior Stu Brown, did all he could to help the No. 15 seed in its attempt to stun second-seeded Stevenson (10-0), which awaits the winner of tonight's game between No. 10 Mt. Carmel (6-3) and No. 7 Simeon (7-2) at Gately Stadium.
Brown's 11-yard touchdown run on a counter pulled New Trier (5-5) even at 7-7 on the final play of the first quarter, capping a 10-play drive.
Weisman, who rushed for 181 yards on 19 carries, scored the first of his 2 touchdowns in the second quarter to put the Patriots back on top. He said Stevenson's coaches conditioned the players a little extra to prepare for New Trier's offense, which barely allows players from either side to catch their breath.
"We practiced all week with (the hurry-up), so we were ready for it," Weisman said. "But it's definitely tiring out there."
"The first couple of days of practice were tough, but our coaches got a good handle on it and we handled it pretty well," said Harris, who scored the Patriots' first touchdown on a 19-yard screen pass. "It's tough. (New Trier's) a good team. Give them a lot of credit. They had a good game plan the first half."
New Trier trailed only 14-7 at halftime, despite losing wide receiver Charlie Tilson to a knee injury on the Trevians' third play from scrimmage.
"We like to run a lot of screens with him and get him on goes because he's easily the fastest person on this team," Brown said. "That was a big loss. If we had him the whole game maybe the game plan changes."
Brown (16-of-32 passing, 106 yards, 37 rushing yards) made no excuses for New Trier's inability to move the ball consistently after halftime. Defensive back Evan Masters led Stevenson's defense with 10 solo tackles and a red-zone interception late in the first half. Defensive lineman Michael Crowley knocked down a pair of passes, and linebacker Brian Biggio was credited with 9 solo stops.
"Their defense was quick," Brown said. "They picked up on a lot of stuff that we were doing."
Stevenson didn't get an insurance touchdown until late in the third quarter, when a 44-yard pass from Kevin Earl (10-of-18 passing, 141 yards) to Nate Johnson (6 catches, 112 yards) set up Weisman's 1-yard plunge that made it 21-7.
"We didn't possess the ball enough as an offense," New Trier coach Matt Irvin said. "We put a lot of pressure on our own defense. (Stevenson's) offense, they grind you and they're good at it."