New Trier Football

New Trier visits GBS Friday; Other CSL teams play Saturday

Playoff times and dates for the five Central Suburban League football team’s first-round playoff games have been announced.

No. 12 seed New Trier (6-3) visits No. 5 seed Glenbrook South (7-2) at 7 p.m. Friday in a Class 8A battle. The Titans won their regular-season CSL South meeting 21-10 Sept. 30 in Glenview. The winner will play No. 4 Bartlett (7-2) or No. 13 Lyons Township (5-4).

Three-time defending Class 8A state champion and No. 2 Maine South (9-0) plays No. 15 Curie (5-4) at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Lane Stadium in a Class 8A game. Despite being a higher seed, Maine South will not play at home in the first two rounds as a result of IHSA sanctions against the program following incidents during last year’s state playoffs. With a victory, the Hawks would meet No. 7 Stevenson (7-2) or No. 10 York (6-3).

No. 16 Evanston (5-4) visits No. 1 Loyola (9-0) at 1 p.m. Saturday in a Class 8A game in Wilmette. The Wildkits lost to the Ramblers 40-0 in the season opener Aug. 26. The winner plays No. 8 Taft (7-2) or No. 9 Dunbar (6-3).

No. 14 Deerfield (6-3) plays at No. 3 Nazareth Academy (8-1) at 1 p.m. Saturday in a Class 6A game in LaGrange Park. The winner plays No. 6 Cary-Grove (7-2) or No. 11 Crystal Lake Central (6-3).
 

Olaniyan, Thomas each run for 2 TDs in Trevians' 34-10 win

Daniel Olaniyan and Michael Thomas combined for what must be some kind of unofficial school record Friday night in Northfield.

The New Trier junior running backs each scored a pair of rushing touchdowns – untouched by the Waukegan defense on all four trips to the end zone – on plays between the tackles as the Trevians ran past visiting Waukegan 34-10 in the Central Suburban League South game and clinched a berth in the Class 8A state playoffs.

New Trier (6-3, 3-2 in CSL South) will learn its first-round playoff matchup when the pairings are released on Saturday night. It's the second trip in as many years since coach Dan Starkey took over the Trevians' program.

Olaniyan scored on runs of 6 and 10 yards and then it was Thomas' turn to hit paydirt on runs of 10 and 16 yards. The only reason their uniforms got dirty at all was because of the blocking they did for each other, although Thomas also turned in a full night's work at linebacker with Jack O'Malley sidelined by an injury.

Those clean uniforms could be traced to the work of the offensive line led by center Casey Karnes and flanked by Eric Goldner, Ethan Smith, Campbell Lipe and Tom Maentz. Olaniyan finished with 11 carries for 78 yards, Thomas carried nine times for 83 yards, and fullback Andrew Hrabe also scored on a 2-yard plunge.

"We played a pretty solid football game tonight," Starkey said. "Our offensive coaches did a great job with the game plan and our offensive line got a head on a hat tonight. They really worked hard to sustain their blocks, and it showed on those touchdowns. You've gotta have a running game at this time of the year. Karnes has had an outstanding year for us at center and so has Lipe.

"We're a step ahead of where we were last year (as a playoff qualifier with a 5-4 record in 2010) and I'm excited about the position we're in. I think we have a chance to do some great things in the playoffs. We can be explosive on offense at times, and we can stop the running game, too. When you can do those two things, you have a great shot in the playoffs."

Waukegan (3-6, 1-4) couldn't do much against a New Trier defense that was missing linebacker O'Malley (mild concussion) and defensive back Josh Perlmutter (neck). The Bulldogs stumbled to their fifth straight defeat to close out the season despite the fact that quarterback Reggie Richter completed 13 of 28 passes for 182 yards and also scored on a 7-yard run in the fourth quarter.

Bulldogs' senior wide receiver Kyle Williams caught seven passes for 129 yards, but the visitors only mustered 98 yards on the ground.

New Trier scored on its first two possessions, driving 58 yards for Olaniyan's first TD – a run up the middle after Karnes cleared out any lurking Waukegan defender. The next time the Trevians got the ball, quarterback Jack Nykaza passed to Devin Boehm for a 35-yard gain that set up Olaniyan's 10-yard scamper up the middle again.

Olaniyan, however, fumbled the ball to Waukegan's Javier Thompson to end New Trier's next scoring threat. Richter's deep sideline toss to Williams covered 37 yards and eventually led to a 36-yard field goal by Richard Hernandez that got the Bulldogs on the scoreboard.

The first of three Waukegan turnovers – an interception by Will Caffery – led to another Trevians’ score with 4 minutes, 21 seconds left before halftime as Thomas raced off tackle from the 10.

Sam Scherer's pick set up a 16-yard scoring run by Thomas early in the second half. Four personal foul penalties against the Bulldogs helped New Trier's reserves mount one more scoring drive in the fourth quarter, with Hrabe reaching the end zone.   

For game photos, visit www.SportsStarPhotos.com

 

Trevians force 4 turnovers in 24-7 road victory

Jack O'Malley credited a week of solid practice preparation for putting New Trier's defenders in the right place at the right time Friday night at Lazier Field in Evanston.

"We knew where Evanston was going with the ball," said the Trevians' senior linebacker. "All we had to do was rip it out."

New Trier forced four turnovers – including a pair of controversial fumble recoveries – and that made the difference in a 24-7 triumph that stamped New Trier as eligible for the Class 8A state playoffs.

Trevians' coach Dan Starkey wasn't ready to celebrate – not yet.

"We're not there yet," Starkey said after New Trier improved to 5-3 overall and 2-2 in the Central Suburban League South. "We're not thinking about the playoffs, not until we get that sixth win, if we can get past Waukegan next week."

The loss left Evanston, now 4-4, in playoff limbo. Teams need at least five victories to be considered for postseason play, but some of those teams in the past have been left on the sidelines under the Illinois High School Association’s playoff point system. Evanston concludes the regular season next Friday against Niles West.

"I don't get caught up in that playoff scenario, because you can't control that," Evanston coach Mike Burzawa said. "Some years 5-4 teams get in, and some years 5-4 doesn't get you in. You never want it to come down to the good, old computer and the points. Hopefully we have a lot of football left."

In the 102nd game of a rivalry that dates back to 1913, New Trier bounced back from last year's loss to the Wildkits with takeaways every time the visitors needed them.

New Trier's defense hasn't necessarily excelled in that category since recording five takeaways in the season opener against Warren. But with much more than bragging rights in the rivalry at stake Friday night, the defense was full of good hands people.

O'Malley forced a fumble into the hands of teammate Nick Hedge right before halftime to thwart a potential scoring drive, and with nine minutes remaining the game turned when Trevians' safety Max Kraus came up with a loose football even though most fans on the Evanston side of the field thought that quarterback Max Block had fallen on his own fumble and the play was over.

The hosts had driven from their own 25 to near midfield when Block mishandled the ball on a broken play.

Here's how Kraus saw it.

"The quarterback hit his own back with the ball, and he happened to fall on it," Kraus recalled. "But while he was on the ground, I just yanked it out of his hands. The coaches are always telling us that it's all about playing to the end, playing to the whistle.

"I thought the referee would give it back to them, but he didn't. That's definitely the biggest play I've ever made. I just sat there with it until the whistle blew."

New Trier, nursing only a 10-7 lead at that point, then marched 45 yards in 10 plays with quarterback Jack Nykaza (81 yards rushing, 21 carries) scoring on a 2-yard plunge. That score came with 5 minutes, 19 seconds remaining in the game and the Trevians tacked on another score after a Chris Hall interception and two unsportsmanlike penalties against Evanston on that turnover. Devin Boehm raced around end for a 13-yard touchdown run to apply the finishing touch.

"With nine minutes left, we're driving the ball and I thought we were going to score," Burzawa said. "It came down to those turnovers. That's obviously the difference in a game when two teams are so evenly matched.

"It was one of those nights where everything went against us. I'm extremely proud of our kids and the way they battled tonight. It's definitely tough to lose to New Trier like this on Senior Night. It definitely hurts. It leaves a sour taste in our mouths.

"Before the half we thought we were gonna score, too. We moved the ball real well and I'm not sure what happened over on the other side of the field. The call was so late that we were getting our next play ready when the official pointed the other way."

Evanston backup quarterback Marcus Hampton coughed up the ball on the 32 on one of several plays designed for quarterback keepers as Evanston opened up its offensive playbook. Hedge was credited with the recovery for New Trier, which only led 10-0 at the time on a Grant Amick 30-yard field goal and a 17-yard touchdown pass from Nykaza (9-of-14, 100 yards) to Will Fitzgerald.

 "We filled the gaps pretty hard tonight," linebacker O'Malley said. "We knew where they'd be with the ball, so we could lay some good hits on them.

"On that play right before the half, the ball was on about the 30 and their guy (Hampton) came around end. I know he didn't see me coming. I went flying at him, knocked the ball out and the ball came right to Nick (Hedge). Nick really played a great game for us again tonight. All Evanston tried to do all night was run on us. I've been playing against Evanston and beating them since I was in eighth grade, and I couldn't come out of here with a loss tonight."

The home team regrouped with a scoring drive to open the second half, as Xavier Levy returned the opening kick 37 yards to put the Wildkits in prime field position at their own 44. Evanston threw only one pass in the 13-play march, and Hampton made up for the fumble with three carries for 24 yards before Ray Bahr scored on a 1-yard run.

Bahr racked up 95 yards on 24 attempts, while Block carried a career-high 13 times for 37 yards in the loss.

"We did run our quarterbacks more tonight," Burzawa said. "We think that can be one of our strengths as a team, and we wanted to take advantage of that. Max is a pretty strong kid back there and we thought it would work tonight. I thought our offensive line gave us a pretty good push, too. But we still need to improve on our blocking, and we need to be a little more disciplined, too."

 

Trevians win third straight heading into matchup with Maine South

After losing its season opener to Schaumburg, the New Trier football team is clicking on all cylinders.

The Trevians have reeled off three consecutive commanding victories, their latest being a 62-0 rout of Maine West in a Central Suburban League crossover battle Friday night in Northfield.

The stunning dominance of the Trevians (3-1) over the last three weeks comes at a perfect time as they play host to perennial state and CSL South powerhouse Maine South (4-0).

"We’re jacked right now," said New Trier running back Michael Thomas, who finished with two touchdowns and 50 yards on 10 carries against the Warriors (0-4).

"We’re running on all cylinders. Our offensive line is looking sharp. They’re getting a jump on the ball and once again the defense is getting turnovers. Hopefully, we could do it next week."

On their recent streak, the Trevians have averaged 28.6 points per game while surrendering 6.6 points, matching up well with a high-powered Maine South team.

"We certainly have a tough test, starting with Maine South," New Trier coach Dan Starkey said. "They are the measuring stick of the conference and they’ve got a great football team and they’re well coached so it’s going to be a great challenge for us."

New Trier nearly went unchallenged as they got out of the gates in a hurry against the Warriors and eventually scored on all nine possessions on the night.

After a big 70-yard return by New Trier receiver Christian Carr on the opening kickoff, quarterback Jack Nykaza (8-of-8 passing, 74 yards) engineered a four-play, 25-yard drive that ended in a 10-yard touchdown pass to Carr to lead 7-0.

That was just the beginning for New Trier.

A dominating defensive series by the Trevians forced Maine West to punt after a three-and-out. Six plays later, Nykaza took the play into his own hands and ran in a quarterback sneak from 2 yards out to make it 14-0.

Thomas then gave New Trier a 21-0 lead, punching in the ball from 1-yard out with 1 minute, 22 seconds left in the first quarter.

"Our kids have worked hard," Starkey said. "They did what we wanted them to do in all three phases of the game and we executed well. We got off to a fast start offensively and we really did some great things."

Nykaza continued to do some great things, rushing for a touchdown four minutes into the second quarter to make it 28-0.

On Maine West’s ensuing possession, the Trevians forced and recovered a fumble deep in the Warriors’ territory.
Daniel Olaniyan (5 carries, 100 yards) extended the lead, scoring from 30 yards out to make it 34-0 after the missed extra point.

The Trevians’ dominance on both sides of the ball continued midway through the second quarter.

Maine West once again stalled on offense, turning the ball over at midfield on a fumble.

Thomas nearly single-handedly manufactured the Trevians’ final drive of the first half with six carries on 38 yards, ending in a 3-yard scamper with 14.7 seconds left in the half to open a 41-0 lead.

New Trier outgained Maine West 253 to 30 yards in the first half.

"It was a great win," Thomas said. "We were looking at it all week and focusing on Maine West."

The Trevians’ backups took over in the second half and didn’t skip a beat, getting scores from Grant Forsyth, Will Hirsch and George Seaberry.

"We came out and really executed," Starkey said. "That’s what I wanted to see our kids do. Regardless of whom we’re playing, we wanted to execute well. I was proud that we were able to rotate kids in and out of the game. We just have good numbers this year and the kids are working hard and they’re doing everything to be successful."

Meanwhile, it isn’t getting any easier for the Warriors, who lost a few more players to injuries.

Starting quarterback Jake Korbecki missed the second half with a left knee injury. Raul Anaya and lineman Matthew Finnander also missed the second half. Lineman John Wojcik left the game on crutches.

"We’re hurting right now," said Maine West coach Chris Hare, who already lost running back BJ Lambert earlier this season with a knee injury. "We’re thin as it is. In situations like that, you ask for guys to step up. We talked about opportunities. When you get opportunities, you have to make the most of it. Hopefully guys will step up and make something happen."

The Warriors will need turn things around in a hurry, as they will face Highland Park next week to kick off CSL North play.

"Briefly, we showed sometimes that we wanted to compete (tonight)," Hare said. "And at other times, we didn’t compete as much as we should.

"It’s still tough to get over this. You can never get over a loss easily. But we’re going to turn the page tomorrow and we’re going to look at Highland Park and try and get a conference win and compete there."

Maine West running back Jake Gice finished with 14 yards on six carries. Ryan Nordin had three carries for 14 yards and one catch for 11 yards.