Football: Scouting Stevenson vs. Homewood-Flossmoor
CLASS 8A CHAMPIONSHIP
Stevenson Patriots (13-0) vs. Homewood-Flossmoor Vikings (11-2)
What: IHSA Class 8A state championship game
When: 7 p.m., today
Where: Memorial Stadium, University of Illinois, Champaign
TV: Comcast SportsNet Chicago
Stevenson's road to the state championship: Defeated Lyons (21-17), Loyola Academy (24-21), New Trier (38-10) and Glenbard West (7-3).
Homewood-Flossmoor's road to the state championship: Defeated Neuqua Valley (41-20), Edwardsville (42-35), Bolingbrook (25-13), Chicago Simeon (35-20).
Stevenson's playoff history: Stevenson is making its 26th straight playoff appearance. The Patriots advanced to their only state championship game in 2002 and lost to Lockport, 35-14. Last year, Stevenson was ousted in the final seconds of the Class 8A semifinals by Loyola, 15-14.
Homewood-Flossmoor's playoff history: Homewood-Flossmoor is making its fifth straight playoff appearance. The Vikings have won one state championship, Class 6A in 1994. Last year, Homewood-Flossmoor lost in the second round to eventual state champion Naperville Central, 24-21.
Coaches: Bill McNamara, Stevenson; Craig Buzea, Homewood-Flossmoor
Stevenson stats: The Patriots average 35.3 points per game and allow 10.3 points per game. They've posted 3 shutouts. Offensively, they are averaging 138.2 rushing yards and 187.3 passing yards per game. Leading rusher Jack Joseph has 1,139 yards and 18 touchdowns. Quarterback Willie Bourbon has completed 188 of 348 passes for 2,435 yards, 10 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. Leading receivers Cameron Green and Jack Sorenson have similar stats. Green has 57 catches for 826 yards and 10 touchdowns. Sorenson has 59 catches for 812 yards and 1 touchdown. Defensively, linebacker Jason Vravick has a team-leading 119 tackles.
Homewood-Flossmoor stats: The Vikings average 43.3 points per game and allow 18.4 points per game. They've posted 4 shutouts. Offensively, they are averaging 265.8 rushing yards and 169.4 passing yards per game. Leading rushers Deante Harley-Hampton and Devonte Harley-Hampton, twin brothers, have similar stats. Deante has 1,528 yards and 21 touchdowns. Devonte has 1,086 yards and 18 touchdowns. Quarterback Bryce Gray has completed 125 of 202 passes for 2,106 yards, 23 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. Leading receivers Jared Sharp, Kendric Pryor and James Sheehan have similar stats. Sharp has 33 catches for 561 yards and 5 touchdowns. Pryor has 29 catches for 664 yards and 6 touchdowns. Sheehan has 29 catches for 524 yards and 6 touchdowns. Defensively, linebacker Eric Bey has a team-leading 41 tackles.
Fun fact: Stevenson and Homewood-Flossmoor are familiar foes. They faced off this season in Week 2, and Stevenson pulled out a 33-24 win on the road.
Skinny: Still searching for its first football state championship in school history, Stevenson has been passionately targeting this moment since a painful exit last season. The Patriots lost in the final seconds of the Class 8A state semifinal game to Loyola, 15-14. "We're trying to make history here," Stevenson coach Bill McNamara said. "We had a very good team (in 2002) that got downstate but came up short, and last year, we came so close to getting there. This is a very special time for our kids. But we're also not content in just making it. (A state championship) is something that has never happened in the Stevenson community. It is very clear that we are going down to win a football game."…Stevenson won the first meeting between these teams this season, but not without a full-out effort. The Patriots, who had to return to Homewood-Flossmoor on Saturday after inclement weather suspended Friday's game, were forced to mount a significant comeback, down 24-7 in the third quarter. "We finally got hot," McNamara said. "We were down 21-7 at halftime, and I remember (quarterback) Willie Bourbon saying, 'This is the best I've ever felt being down 21-7 at half.' We were still doing good things, we were just making little mistakes that could easily be corrected. I think everyone felt confident about that. I think we knew it was just a matter of time before we started scoring and getting things rolling and that's what happened. We started putting some points on the board and our defense kept getting 3-and-outs and we got momentum and it was difficult for them to stop that." Stevenson scored 19 unanswered fourth-quarter points to escape with the win. Bourbon scored the game's final four touchdowns, all on runs of 3 yards or less. He finished with 56 rushing yards and 204 passing yards, completing 20 of 34 passes. He spread his targets between Tyler Vincent (9 catches, 58 yards), Jack Sorenson (6 catches, 93 yards) and Cameron Green (4 catches, 48 yards)…Last week against Glenbard West, Stevenson's passing game was grounded (thanks in part to 4 interceptions by Glenbard West), so running back Jack Joseph took center stage. He finished with a team-high 46 rushing yards and scored the Patriots' only touchdown. "Jack provides such great balance and stability in our offense," McNamara said of Joseph. "He's had an incredible year and we're expecting another big game out of him this week. He's able to make a lot of big plays and he puts a lot of pressure on a defense."…Homewood-Flossmoor quarterback Bryce Gray put some pressure on Stevenson early in that Week 2 game. He completed 21 of 31 passes for 252 yards and a 35-yard touchdown to Kendric Pryor. Devonte Harley-Hampton had 6 catches for 71 yards in that game and he and his twin brother Deante also got 15 carries apiece out of the backfield. Devonte finished with 66 rushing yards while Deante had 48 rushing yards. "Any time those two touch the ball, they can take it the distance," McNamara said of the Harley-Hampton twins. "We have to tackle well and prevent big plays."…Stevenson had 4 turnovers (all interceptions) last week at Glenbard West. But McNamara isn't worried about a trend. "It was an anomaly," McNamara said of the interceptions. "Usually, we're very good at taking care of the ball. It was more of a hats off to Glenbard West. They had an incredible defense. Obviously, we'll need to take care of the football, but I think we'll be fine there. We've done a very good job with that all season."
- Patricia Babcock McGraw