CORRECTION: An earlier version of this article mistakenly stated that the Patriots had last won a playoff game in 2014, during their State Championship run. The article also misstated some statistics. This has been amended and corrected with the correct date and record.
The Stevenson Patriots won their first playoff game in 9 years against the Carl Sandburg Eagles last Friday night. The Patriots last won a playoff game in 2015 against Conant High School, ultimately falling to Loyola Academy in the second round. Quarterback Aidan Crawley ’26 was consistent all night, throwing multiple touchdowns and leading the Patriots to a 31-14 victory.
The offense played a key role in the night’s victory, as wide receivers Thomas Simmons ’25 and Zach Hersh ’25 picked up 148 yards combined, and backup running back Aidan Elliott ’26 had 116 yards on the ground. Elliott debuted this game, putting up amazing numbers in his first game starting.
“I’ve gotta give all the credit to my line,” Elliott said. “They had the most amazing blocks.”
With the offensive line creating lanes for Crawley and Elliott to work through, the Patriots scored a total of four touchdowns in their impressive playoff showing. The defense held the Eagles to only 14 points, shutting them out in the first half completely and locking down in the second half with multiple tackles for loss (TFL).
The Patriots scored quickly as Crawley moved his offense all the way to the 30-yard line, setting up Caden An ’26 for the opening field goal, putting the Patriots up 3-0 early in the first quarter. After a poor snap from the Eagles and a turnover, the Patriots ended up in their territory once again, setting up Crawley’s first touchdown of the night: a 28-yard pass to tight end Zachary Becker ’26. The Patriots were up 10-0 in the first 7 minutes of regulation.
Stevenson continued their dominant first half with a rushing touchdown by Crawley to extend the Patriot lead to 17-0. Crawley ended the first half with nearly 100 rushing yards, a season high thus far.
“We battled through some adversity in the beginning, but all in all, a great game that we executed really well,” Crawley said.
After a slow third period, the Patriot defense rallied to hold the lead at 17-7, giving up one rushing touchdown to Sandburg. Stevenson refused to let this go unanswered, responding with a monster 73-yard touchdown by Hersh, with a long pass from Crawley, putting the Patriots up 24-7.
“We came up short in the playoffs last year, even though I didn’t have much of an impact, it was still devastating to see the loss,” Hersh said. “About nine months ago, we sat down in the weight room, and said we wanted a playoff game. We finally did it tonight, and I’m ready to make a run with this team.”
With just under 10 minutes of regulation, Eagles receiver JT Snider cut the lead to 24-14, after catching a 30-yard touchdown pass. The Patriots knew they had to answer back to solidify their win. With just over 7 minutes left, defensive back Abai Atabekov ’26 picked off the Eagles quarterback, giving the Patriots the final push of momentum they needed.
“I saw the ball and was like, ‘yeah I’m getting that,’” Atabekov said. “I did it for my team. It was a huge team effort, I couldn’t have done it without my defensive line.”
Finally, to cap off an unbelievable performance, Crawley ran into the endzone for a 36-yard rushing touchdown, his fourth of the night to put the score at 31-14, and seal the victory. Crawley finished the game with 93 rushing yards, and 207 passing yards, a breakout performance in front of the home crowd.
As the Patriots celebrate their first playoff win in over 10 years, they understand that they have a tough opponent ahead in Glenbard East. They continue to learn more about their opponent in the upcoming week, but plan on staying consistent in their practices.
“We feel great,” Atabekov said. “We’re going to prepare like we always do, and be ready as ever.”
The Patriots will continue their IHSA playoff run next Friday, Nov. 8 away at Glenbard East. They look to continue through this historic season strongly.
“Bring it, that’s all I have to say,” Luca Siamashvili ’25 said.
This story was last updated on Nov 4. at 3:17 pm.