LINCOLNSHIRE — Football is about more than winning for the top-ranked Stevenson football team.
Every Patriot on the 63-player roster who dressed for Friday’s homecoming game against Mundelein saw playing time as Stevenson rolled to a 42-6 victory in a North Suburban Lake game.
“All of our players practice just as hard as each other,” said Stevenson coach Bill McNamara, who used reserves for the entire second half after building up a 35-0 lead at the intermission. “It’s the responsibility of our starters to get everyone else in the game.”
McNamara’s philosophy goes beyond getting all of his players in the game. He had no interest in humiliating Mundelein (0-8, 0-5) or any other team.
“Sportsmanship is part of it, too,” McNamara said. “We’ll never score 70 points as long as I’m coaching here unless the second team breaks a long play.”
Stevenson’s first-half domination did not begin until it solved the Mundelein offense. The Mustangs took the opening kickoff and moved the ball for 47 yards eclipsing nearly eight minutes off the clock before the Patriots (8-0, 5-0) stopped them on downs. Mundelein quarterback Colten Fisher ran for 32 of his team-leading 58 yards on that possession.
After that, it took Stevenson six minutes to stifle the Mustangs’ attack and take a 28-0 lead. During that stint, the Patriots limited Mundelein to five yards of offense.
“We saw what they were doing and knew what we had to do,” Stevenson outside linebacker Jim Marchese said. “We made our adjustments.”
Marchese played a role in the scoring when he nabbed a Fisher pass at the Mundelein 17 and ran into the end zone for his team’s fourth touchdown.
“I could see each of the receivers and the quarterback looking,” Marchese said. “I don’t think he saw me.”
Stevenson quarterback Willie Bourbon put on an aerial display by completing three touchdowns, two of them to Cameron Green.
“I couldn’t do it if the guys weren’t blocking for Willie [Bourbon] so he had time to find me,” the Northwestern-bound Green said.
On his second touchdown, Green broke seven tackles to go 44 yards for the score.
“My dad always said don’t let the first guy tackle you,” Green said. “I just try to avoid them like I’m playing tag.”
His father, Mark Green, knows something about football. He captained Notre Dame’s 1988 national championship team and was a running back for the Chicago Bears.
Bourbon hit Tyler Vincent with a 37-yarder for the Patriots’ first score, and Jack Joseph tallied the fifth on a 1-yard run.
Mundelein got itself on the board in the third quarter when Fisher completed his only pass of the night to Jake Buscher for 22 yards.
