Warren, Stevenson make the best of early 'showdown'

The only way to make a good rivalry game even better is good timing.

Of course, there are exceptions.

Stevenson versus Libertyville is still the "King of the Hill" rivalry game in the North Suburban Conference each football season. And that's the case no matter when the game is played.

But the annual Stevenson-Warren game has gained a significant amount of traction in recent years, and not just because Warren has become a much more serious contender.

A favorable scheduling rotation has made the Stevenson-Warren game a Week 9 whopper for seven of the last eight years.

Having two quality teams battling it out, often for conference supremacy, in the final week of the regular season makes not only for a great game, it also has fueled a great rivalry between the two programs and the two schools.

"We had a Week 9 game with them in 2005 (Stevenson won 35-34) that literally went down to the final seconds in double overtime," said Warren coach Dave Mohapp, whose team finished second to Stevenson in the North Suburban Lake Division that year. "It was one of the greatest high school games I've ever seen."

It might be awhile before Mohapp sees another against Stevenson. In Week 9, at least.

Thanks to a rotation of the North Suburban Conference's rotating schedule, heavyweights Stevenson and Warren don't get a regular-season finale game this year. And possibly for many years to come.

Instead, the Patriots will host the Blue Devils in Lincolnshire tonight. Their Week 3 "showdown," which will feel like a lifetime ago when Week 9 finally does roll around in October, may seem a bit strange for teams that are used to playing each other with higher stakes.

"Without question, this has become a great rivalry because of the way some of the games and the seasons have played out," Warren coach Dave Mohapp said. "We've had some of those Week 9 games become really important. The pressure would be on because you were playing for a lot."

For Stevenson and Warren, Class 8A playoff positioning was on the line. Likewise, a conference championship was also often up for grabs.

In seven of the eight seasons since their Week 9 series began in 2002, either Stevenson or Warren has finished first or second in the Lake Division. And both teams have always finished in the top three in the division.

Last year, Stevenson defeated Warren 26-14 in the Week 9 finale to finish the regular season as undefeated division champions.

Overall, Stevenson and Warren are tied 4-4 in their Week 9 showdowns.

"We have a lot of respect for Warren. We've played some really great Week 9 games against them over the years," said first-year Stevenson coach Bill McNamara, who was an assistant with the Patriots for the previous 18 years. "It'll be different playing them so early."

In some ways, it could be better.

In Week 3, a big win could set the tone for the rest of the season. Also, players and coaches will usually be feeling far less pressure than in Week 9, no matter how big a Week 3 game is.

"It might be nice to play them early because of that," McNamara said. "And it's also a very nice test to see what kind of team you are at this point in the season."

Then again-

"By week seven, eight or nine, you know your team's strengths and weaknesses and you can plan better for them," Mohapp said. "That's why I'd always rather have a big game like this later in the year."

Good cause: Students and athletes at Stevenson and Warren joined forces prior to tonight's big showdown between the two schools on the football field.

T-shirts were on sale for $10 this week at both schools with proceeds going to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Fans in the stands are encouraged to wear the purple T-shirts to the game.

Surprise, surprise? Over the years, Stevenson has built a reputation as a running team that is powered

by massive offensive lines that often churn out Division I prospects.

So it should come as no surprise that the Patriots are once again touting the play of the offensive line, right?

Well, not exactly.

New head coach Bill McNamara knew he had some talented linemen in Michael Crowley, Brandon Weber, Jon Bash, Ryan Levine, Jake Hurcombe and Andy Munger, but he wasn't sure exactly when he'd see them reach their full potential as a group.

Crowley and Bash are the only returning starters.

So if he had to make bets, McNamara would have said later, rather than sooner for chemistry on the line.

"We had some big holes to fill from last year," McNamara said. "But those guys really stepped it up. They worked really hard during the summer. They lifted weights together, they ran together as a group and I think that's part of the reason they've been able to come together fairly quickly."

The quick development of the line has led to a rushing game that piled up 330 yards last week against Glenbrook South.

"We've got a lot of talented backs making contributions this year," McNamara said. "But the fact that our offensive line is playing so well has made it easier for our backs to get those yards."

Been there, done that: Warren is downright defensive. Again.

Head coach Dave Mohapp says that his team has struggled at times offensively but has been saved by a defense that jumped out of the gates from the word go.

Same thing happened last season when the Blue Devils went 8-3.

"It's not unusual for a defense to be ahead of an offense. I'm sure a lot of coaches feel that way," Mohapp said. "But our defense has been really solid, just like last year. We're really able to count on them to make some big plays for us."

Veterans Matt Goad and Gary Eppinger have set the tone defensively for the Blue Devils. Goad is a junior defensive back who played up with the varsity last year as a sophomore and Eppinger is a linebacker who came up with some game-changing plays in last week's overtime victory against Highland Park.

Mohapp says linemen Luke Mueller and Jovan DuBose have also stood out on defense.

On the 'Marq(us): The biggest weapon in Libertyville's no-huddle, spread offense is quarterback A.J. Schurr, whose quick feet and even quicker decision-making are important to its success.

But just as important could be the contributions of running back Demarqus Wilson, who played in his first game last week against Carmel after missing the season opener against Barrington.

Wilson rushed for 42 yards on 6 carries and also had a huge return in the kicking game that gave Libertyville excellent field position. When he starts hitting on all cylinders, Wilson could provide a big enough distraction to prevent defenses from keying on Schurr.

"We've kind of missed that component so far," Libertyville coach Randy Kuceyeski said. "We need a complement for A.J., and I think that could be Demarqus. I see him being a major weapon. He blocks well, he runs well and he's our quickest guy in the backfield."

Huge, enormous, gigantic: It might be an understatement to say that the Grayslake Central defense is in for a big challenge against Crystal Lake South.

Rams coach Nick Goshe says the Crystal Lake South offensive line is as big as he's ever seen at the high school level, and possibly bigger than some college teams.

"It's like we're playing Michigan State or something," Goshe said of the Gators, whose line includes a few 300-pounders who stand at least 6-foot-4. "These guys are gigantic."

The Rams are just the opposite on defense. Goshe says his guys are small, but quick. And they're not backing down from anyone.

Led by linebackers Chris Loeffl and Jake Paust, lineman Jimmy Soto and safety Cam Neely, the defense has given up an average of 10 points per game and is coming off a shutout of Woodstock North.

The Rams aren't hoping for similar results against Crystal Lake South, they're expecting them - 300-pounders or not.

"Our defense loves challenges like this," Goshe said. "No matter what kind of team they're playing or what the circumstances are, they just love playing football. I give credit to our defensive staff for that."

Goshe says his defensive co-coordinators, Ben Ault and Andrew Burton, have taken their jobs and run with them.

"Those guys are like head coaches," Goshe said. "They run their own stuff and I don't even mess with it. I would put those two against anyone."

Including a bunch of 300-pounders.

Goshe says he's confident that the Rams will have an answer for Crystal Lake South's size on the offensive line.

"We're going to have to play very fast and we're going to have to be unpredictable against those guys," Goshe said. "If those big kids know where you're at, they'll just smush you into next Tuesday."

Girl power: Katie Lahera isn't the first girl to kick field goals and extra points on a varsity football team.

But she may be one of the first to register a touchdown-saving tackle.

The Grayslake North kicker got physical during the Knights' Week 1 victory over Woodstock North when she took out a kick returner who was steaming towards the end zone.

"We had just scored, she kicks off and this kid slips by a couple of our guys and was making his way past the 45 and she got a great angle and she hit him and he went out of bounds," Grayslake North coach Steve Wood said. "Had Katie not made that tackle, he would have probably been gone for a touchdown. That was a great tackle."

Lahera has been pretty great on her kicks, too.

The starting kicker for the sophomore team last year, she is 6-for-6 on her extra points on the varsity level this year.