The Stevenson Patriots traveled to Frankfurt, Illinois, facing off against the number one ranked team in the state, the Lincoln-Way East Griffins, in an IHSA quarterfinals matchup. They fell 45-0 and finished the season with a 10-2 record.
The Patriot’s offense was held to just 12 rushing yards and over 100 passing yards. However, with a 10-2 record on the season, the Patriots are proud to have gotten this far and to prove people wrong.
“In our minds, this was an opportunity for us to show we are contenders, and that we deserve respect,” defensive back Luke Nelson ’25 said.
The game’s turning point for the Patriots was when Aidan Crawley ’26 hit wide receiver Thomas Simmons ’25 for consecutive big passes onto the Griffin’s goal line. The Griffins immediately regained the momentum, with a sack and an 86-yard touchdown run by quarterback Jonas Williams, extending their lead to 28-0 with two minutes left in the half.
“Going into those plays, I just trusted our offensive line and Crawley to get the ball downfield,” Simmons said. “We’ve done it so many times it’s natural at this point.”
Williams, a 2026 University of Oregon commit, finished with three rushing touchdowns of his own, amounting to 149 rushing yards. While he is currently ranked as the number one quarterback in the state, the Patriots made sure to remember he is just like any other teenager.
“These guys are just normal high school kids,” center Michael Panich ’25 said. “They don’t experience anything more or less special than us. They’re also taking algebra. Our coach did a good job of getting that in our minds to reinstate our confidence.”
With 5 minutes left in the third quarter, Crawley threw an interception, sending the momentum back to the Griffins, helping them extend their lead to 38-0. After a final touchdown in the beginning of the fourth quarter, the players ran the clock and closed the game at 45-0.
While the outcome of the night wasn’t what the Patriots had hoped for, a Week 12 game hadn’t been accomplished since their state run in 2014. This season broke barriers for the program, including snapping losing streaks against conference rivals Warren Township and Lake Zurich and taking the conference title home for the first time in eight years.
“Before the season, we were ranked fifth in the conference,” offensive lineman Albert Murillo ’25 said. “This season showed we could hang with the big dogs in the conference.”
As the Patriots reflect on the historic season, they understand how far the program has come since their freshman year where the varsity team finished 3-5. The 10-2 record shows the growth of the athletes and the program as a whole.
“It makes me and a lot of the other seniors feel proud,” Nelson said. “Our program as a whole was not in a great spot our freshman year. So to go 10-2 and bring the program back to being a playoff contender felt great.”
As the seniors hang up the cleats, the immense gratitude and confidence instilled in them will last for years to come. The community the Patriots football program has built was the best part of the season.
“This season has shown me that you don’t need 15 D-1 athletes to win games,” Panich said. “Chemistry, connection and mindset ultimately beat talent. This season led me to have one of the best times of my life.”
Next year, the Patriots hope to build on this historic season and make an even deeper playoff run. With the Junior Varsity football team going 8-0, the program is certainly looking in the right direction for the next year. This year’s goal was to win a playoff game, but next year’s goal is to chase a state championship.
“Hopefully, the juniors can keep adding on to what the seniors have done, and make us more than a quarter final team next year,” Murillo said.