New Trier football coach Brian Doll wanted to look ahead, not back, after a Class 8A playoff game on Nov. 4.
He had to settle for looking back, since his Trevians fell 17-10 to visiting St. Charles East in a Class 8A second-round playoff game in Northfield.
“Beating Maine South,” Doll said, referring to his fondest memory of the 2016 season. “We also had a nice win, a nice road playoff win, against Marist [on Oct. 28]. A couple of proud moments for us.”
New Trier (8-3), seeded 22nd, committed a trio of turnovers (two fumbles, one interception) against sixth-seeded St. Charles East (11-0), the two fumbles halting drives in the red zone.
“Our offense was out of whack, not in synch,” Doll said. “We were not ourselves tonight.”
His defense did an admirable job against the Saints’ triple option, limiting the hard-to-read scheme to seven points in the second half. The Trevians recovered two East fumbles, picked off a pass and blocked a field-goal attempt. Senior linebacker Grant Higgins’ fumble recovery, as time expired in the first quarter, led to the play of the game for the hosts — a touchdown toss from a 6-foot-7 receiver.
“A tall man trick play,” NT junior wideout Brian Kaiser said of his 36-yard strike to senior tight end Scott McCabe off a pitch from senior quarterback Clay Czyzynski (9 of 17 passing, 95 yards; 19 rushes, 80 yards).
The tally, plus junior Sam Rutherford’s extra point, gave NT a 10-7 lead at 10:18 of the second quarter. Rutherford’s 20-yard field goal had cut the Saints’ advantage to 7-3 at the 2:07 mark of the first quarter.
NT senior running back Francis Fay gained most of his 69 rushing yards via a 52-yard sprint on the third play — on a third-and-one — of the Trevians’ second possession.
Senior linebacker Max Rosenthal pounced on the Saints’ other fumble, and senior linebacker Max Bryla came down with an interception at 3:12 of the third quarter. The pick gave NT the ball on St. Charles East’s 27-yard line. The ensuing drive went backwards, the Trevs turning the ball over on downs at East’s 32.
NT’s other standouts on the defensive side of the ball included senior defensive lineman Will Gao, making his first varsity start, senior safety Daniel Anderson and senior linebacker Chris Notari.
“Our seniors, they’ll stick by your side, no matter what,” Kaiser, a good bet to serve as a reliable and vocal leader in 2017, said after finishing with three receptions for a team-high 64 yards. “The seniors, all of us, shared some intense emotions there at the end, after the game. Tough. Tough night.”