Caleb Roth’s late touchdown lifts New Trier over Warren

WINNETKA — It took the New Trier football team until the last series Friday night to pull ahead of Warren.

New Trier’s Caleb Roth scored from 3 yards out to give his team the lead and eventual 14-7 victory with just 23 seconds remaining. Roth’s touchdown finished off a seven-play, 55-yard series in just more than two minutes.

That touchdown wouldn’t have given the Trevians the win, however, if it weren’t for the play of junior linebacker Colin Casas. Casas finished the night with two interceptions, one of which he ran back 51 yards for the first points of the night about midway through the second quarter.

“I just happened to be in the right place at the right time,” said Casas, crediting senior defensive linemen Andrew Hauser with the huge block that allowed him to score. “It was just great coaching all week.”

Warren punched back before halftime to even the score. Star running back Darrius Crump wove through multiple defenders for a 50-yard run that set up a 20-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jay Nickell to the Illinois-committed Caleb Reams.

Nickell was 7-for-19 with 62 yards on the night. Reams had 37 yards receiving. Crump finished the game with 146 yards rushing.

“Defensively we just got some things that we need to fix,” said Blue Devils coach Bryan McNulty. “But we got a lot of talent, and I tell you what, we’re facing someone tough next week so we got to come back.”

Warren, now 1-1, will travel to powerhouse Stevenson next Friday.

New Trier was paced by hard-hitting senior halfback Kevin Mulhern, who pounded away at the Warren defensive line for 75 yards. Sophomore quarterback Clay Czynski stayed poised throughout the four quarters, and senior receiver Scott Hammes finished the game with 89 yards receiving.

New Trier (2-0) is home again next week against Niles North.