New Trier linemen Marcel Bauby (No. 77) and Nick Artinian (No. 73) block for quarterback Clay Czyzynski (No. 17) and Francis Fay (No. 3) during earlier action this season. PHOTOGRAPHY BY GEORGE PFOERTNER
He’s got the same first name as the great French mime Marcel Marceau.
And right there is where the comparison ends between Marceau and New Trier senior lineman Marcel Bauby.
But there was this in New Trier’s 31-24 upset victory over host Marist in a Class 8A state playoff opener on Oct. 28. On one of the key plays of the game, Bauby let his actions do all of the talking. In a non-speaking role, he lowered his head and turned into a road grader.
The 6-foot, 285-pound Bauby, who lines up at center for the Trevians (8-2), helped pave the way on Clay Czyzynski’s four-yard game-winning touchdown run with 2:30 left in regulation.
On a straight isolation play, Czyzynski, a physical 5-11, 210-pound QB, went up the gut and followed the blocks of Bauby and running back Jake Lowell to cap a 17-play, 80-yard drive that erased nine minutes and 24 seconds off the game clock.
Bauby didn’t mind being a landing pad for his QB.
“I ended up with some turf in my mouth on that play,” said Bauby, bright-eyed and animated during a post-game interview.
Which was more than fine with him.
“We were just trying to get a push and move the pile,” he added.
Bauby and his fellow line mates — senior left tackle Liam Hirsch, senior left guard Chris Bisceglia, junior right tackle Nick Artinian and junior left guard Joey Artinian — were awfully good in the trenches against a vaunted Marist squad which entered the game with an eight-game winning streak.
But the 11th seeded Redhawks, who took runner-up honors to Loyola Academy in the Class 8A state bracket last fall, had no answer for Czyzynski.
“Is there anyone playing better football right now than Clay Czyzynski?” asked New Trier head coach Brian Doll.
It was a rhetorical question.
Czyzynski came up with an unforgettable game. As a runner, he carried the ball 23 times for 141 yards, including a 58-yard QB keeper on the opening play of the game, and two touchdowns (4 and 14 yards). As a passer, he completed 10 of 11 passes for 183 yards.
But don’t forget this. One of the unsung heroes was Peter Murray.
Murray, a junior running back, made his head coach look like a genius, when he picked up two yards on a 4th-and-1 from NT’s own 29-yard line on the game-winning drive.
Insert new name here: Brian “The Daredevil” Doll.
“I was either going to get yelled at or cheered,” said Doll. “But I think you have to take gambles in the playoffs, especially when you are on the road.”
Doll’s confidence in his offense was valid. His dual-threat QB misfired on only one pass all night. Eight of Czyzynski’s 10 passes went for 10 yards or more. And, thanks to the blocking of Bauby and Co., he was never sacked and seldom under duress — except for that ad-lib play late in the third quarter when he scrambled to his left and unloaded a cross-field pass in the right flat to Scott McCabe
McCabe, a junior, not only won the ball against a Marist defensive back, but he then turned on the jets down the right sideline.
It ended up being the head-scratching call of the night, when the officials ruled McCabe out of bounds at the Marist three-yard line.
“Scott came back to the sideline, and said, ‘Coach, I wasn’t even close to being out of bounds,’ ” said Doll.
No worries. Two plays later, NT senior running back Francis Fay scored from one yard out. Earlier in the game, Fay scored on a two-yard run.
“We played our hearts out tonight,” said Bauby. “We’re a tough football team. Offensively. Defensively.”
The trust factor definitely is in full effect. Bauby, who also started at center last fall, has won Czyzynski over.
No. 17 is a big fan of No. 77.
“He’s hard-working. He’s hard-nosed,” said the NT quarterback. “Marcel just wants to play football. You have to love a player who is so passionate about the game.
“He plays with a lot of emotion,” Czyzynski added. “He leaves it all on the field. He’s always there for me. I trust him with my life.”
Bauby is glad to be a Trevian. He grew up on the North Shore but lived in Sterling, Illinois, for a few years and attended Newman Central Catholic High School. He enrolled at New Trier at the start of his sophomore year.
By the way, strapping it up for Newman Central Catholic is not a bad thing. The Comets currently are 10-0 and ranked No. 1 in Class 2A.
Asked what’s the best thing about football? Bauby had a ready answer.
“It’s this,” he said.
Notable: Usually, Clay Czyzynski doesn’t play a lot of defense. But this was not just any game. After breaking the 24-24 tie with that four-yard TD run — and being shaken up on the play (he had the wind knocked out of him) — the senior had to quickly transform himself … into an outside linebacker. “We have a defensive package where I play outside linebacker,” said Czyzynski. “Coaches said, ‘Can you go?’ And I said, ‘Of course, I can.’ ” And, not surprisingly, he made an immediate impact. On the fifth play of Marist’s final possession, Czyzynski blasted around right end and sacked Marist quarterback Morgan Taylor for a four-yard loss. Seven plays later, the Redhawks gave up the ball on downs. Their possession stalled at NT’s 13-yard line with :08 left on the clock. … NT’s defense was led by Max Rosenthal (11 tackles, 4-yard tackle-for-loss), Blake Higgins (6 tackles), Chris Notari (6 tackles), Blake Field (5 tackles), Francis Fay (4 tackles), Daniel Anderson (4 tackles), Ben Higgins (4 tackles) and Max Bryla (4 tackles). Rosenthal’s TFL came on the opening play of Marist’s final drive. … NT’s other offensive stat leaders were and Fay (12 rushes, 41 yards, 2 TDs), Brian Kaiser (3 catches, 56 yards) and Anthony Nicholas (3 catches, 47 yards). … Junior Andrew Severino nailed a 28-yard field goal with 8:09 left in the second quarter. … New Trier will host St. Charles East on Nov. 4 at 7 p.m. The Fighting Saints improved to 10-0 with a first-round playoff win over Lockport 45-0 on Oct. 28.