Nov. 01--Stevenson knew Lyons would be a tough first-round draw in the Class 8A playoffs. But maybe not this tough.
On a cold, windy night in Lincolnshire, the top-seeded Patriots eked out a 21-17 victory against No. 16-seeded Lyons.
Stevenson, the Tribune's No. 1-ranked team, trailed by three with eight minutes left. With wind as a factor, the offense had only one second-half first down to that point. But on the game-clinching drive, quarterback Willie Bourbon converted two third downs with his arm, and on first-and-10 from the Lions' 18, running back Jack Joseph ran in the go-ahead score.
On the Lions' final drive, junior linebacker Tyler Vincent ripped the ball out of running back Leonard Ross' hands. The Patriots recovered and ran out the clock.
"You can blame it on the wind, you can blame it on the weather, but honestly, (Lyons) just came out hot," Joseph said. "It was a wake-up call. We knew we had to pick it up. That's probably the best 5-4 team I've ever seen.
"The seeds didn't matter. That's a playoff football game right there."
When Lyons (5-5) scored in the third quarter to go ahead 17-14, Stevenson coach Bill McNamara said his team was "biding time." According to Joseph, there was no panic on the sideline.
"Overall, it's hard to say how we played," McNamara said. "It was good enough to win the game, but far from an 'A' game. We pick each other up. When one phase isn't working out, the other phase has to go."
Stevenson (10-0) will face either Warren or Loyola next weekend. Last season, the Patriots lost 15-14 to Loyola in the state semifinals.
Entering Friday, Stevenson was allowing 9.3 points per game, had three shutouts and two other games in which it allowed fewer than seven points. Against Lyons, the Patriots allowed at least 17 points for just the fourth time.
"A big thing they did is they spread us out," Stevenson defensive lineman Pat O'Connell. "They did a good job of hitting it up the middle. One of our keys was to stop the run, but they were moving it that way, spreading us out and that made it really tough for us."
Player of the game: Jack Joseph, Stevenson, 8 carries, 101 yards, 2 TD; 3 catches, 33 yards, TD.
Key performers: Stevenson -- Tyler Vincent, forced fumble on final drive; Willie Bourbon, 101 yards passing, TD; 30 yards rushing. Lyons -- Leonard Ross, 34 touches, 196 yards, TD.
