Stevenson prevails after frantic OT finish
This may be one of the oldest clichés in the sports world, but the phrase “it’s never over until it’s over” certainly applied Friday at Stevenson.
The Patriots were able to tie Lake Forest on Cameron Green’s 27-yard field goal after two pass interference penalties kept the game alive.
Then in overtime, Stevenson scored and got a defensive stop to pull out a wild 22-16 victory in a game that left everyone in attendance wondering what just happened.
The Scouts poured onto the field in celebration after thinking they’d won the game on the first untimed down. When the outcome was finally official, the visitors left the field quickly and disappeared into the locker room.
“I’m just happy we won,” Stevenson junior Matt Morrissey said. “That was definitely a crazy game.”
Lake Forest kicker Baylor Broughton drilled a pair of field goals in the final five minutes of the fourth quarter. The second, a 24-yarder with 1:04 remaining, gave the Scouts a 16-13 lead.
Stevenson had time for a frantic final drive. After reaching the Lake Forest 33-yard line with 9 seconds left, sophomore quarterback Willie Bourbon let one fly toward receiver Alan Velev. There was plenty of contact as the pass fell incomplete, but unclear which side would be penalized. The call went against the Scouts and Stevenson got an untimed down at the 18-yard line.
Bourbon threw again toward Velev, who caught the pass in a crowd, beyond the back of the end zone. Lake Forest thought the game was over, but a flag was thrown in front of the play, before the ball landed. The second pass interference call put the ball at the 9-yard line, created a second untimed play and Green set up to kick.
The sophomore missed 2 extra points — one in the fourth quarter and one in overtime. But he made the kick that sent it to overtime.
“I was actually very confident, because we had gone over this in practice,” Green said. “Coach (Brent) Becker, he made me kick field goals after practice, just to make sure he trusted me for this call. I thank him very much for trusting me to kick the ball.”
Stevenson (6-1, 4-0) got the ball first in overtime and scored on third down with a 1-yard sneak by Bourbon. The Scouts didn’t gain a yard, with a run for no gain and 3 incomplete passes. The Patriots moved into sole possession of first place in the North Suburban Lake Division, but have another tough test next week at Lake Zurich.
For the most part, this battle of hurry-up spread offenses was dominated by defense. The only touchdown of the first half came on a 23-yard fumble return by Stevenson’s Tim Breen.
Lake Forest took a 10-7 lead early in the fourth quarter by marching 93 yards in six plays, starting with a 48-yard pass from quarterback Andrew Clifford to Nick Giordano.
The Patriots went back up 13-10 on an 18-yard pass from Bourbon to Green with 8:14 left, missing the extra point. Broughton’s 22-yard field goal with 4:17 remaining tied the score.
The Scouts’ defense forced a three-and-out and the visitors moved inside the Stevenson 10-yard line. Lake Forest barely missed converting a third-and-one that would have allowed it to run out the clock. Instead, Broughton booted the go-ahead field goal with 1:04 left.
Clifford completed 30-of-467 passes for 287 yards, while running back Stephen Cirame gained 129 yards on 37 carries. Bourbon was 18-for-35 for 216 yards, while Velev had 6 catches for 98 yards.