No. 6 Stevenson 35, St. Charles East 7
THE SKINNY
The Stevenson football team turned in a complete performance in its Class 8A first-round playoff game against St. Charles East on Saturday afternoon in Lincolnshire. The No. 6-seeded Patriots beat the No. 11-seeded Saints 35-7. Stevenson used its two all-state caliber wide receivers to move the ball with relative ease, and the Patriots shut out St. Charles East until senior quarterback Jimmy Mitchell scored the game’s final points on a 10-yard touchdown run with 8:41 remaining in the fourth quarter.
TURNING POINT
St. Charles East (6-4) was able to move the ball against Stevenson’s stingy defense at times on Saturday, and the Saints made it inside Stevenson’s red zone twice in the final five minutes of the second quarter. St. Charles East was unable to turn either possession into points, however. Stevenson senior Matt Morrissey made a diving interception to end the Saints’ first red zone possession in the second quarter. St. Charles East’s defense then forced the Patriots to go three-and-out and punt, but the Saints’ kicker missed a 31-yard field goal attempt right before halftime to keep the score at 21-0.
THE STARS
Morrissey, a Michigan State-commit, and junior wide receiver Cameron Green were both outstanding against the Saints. Morrissey caught six passes for 84 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while Green had eight receptions for 102 yards and a touchdown.
BY THE NUMBERS
The Patriots (8-2) are now on an eight-game winning streak. They are scheduled to play Glenbard North, the No. 3 seed in Class 8A, in Carol Stream next week. The Panthers have eliminated Stevenson from the playoffs in each of the last two years.
QUOTABLE
“You want to peak at this time of the year, and I think that’s what our team’s doing. We’re eight in a row now. Our first two games were tough, but our team is resilient. We’ve come back from it, and I’m just excited for next week.” — Morrissey
