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Stevenson claim Class 8A championship

CHAMPAIGN - Before leaving Lincolnshire for Champaign on Saturday morning, the Stevenson football team got a motivational send-off from Bobby Giannini.

Giannini was the quarterback of the only other team from the school to make it to a state championship game. His Patriots lost the 2002 Class 8A title game to Lockport.

His job was to pump up the current Patriots before their second-ever attempt at a state championship, a showdown with Homewood-Flossmoor at Memorial Stadium at the University of Illinois.

"It was good, the words of wisdom he gave us," Stevenson wide receiver Cameron Green said of Giannini's speech. "He was saying we need to do it for the community, and we need to do it for all the people who have played for Stevenson before us. There were going to be a lot of them in the stands, and we saw them there in their lettermen's jackets."

The alums and Stevenson's fans ultimately saw the Patriots remove the overgrown monkey that has been perched on the shoulders of everyone associated with the program over the years.

Stevenson, making its 26th consecutive playoff appearance and widely regarded as one of the best programs in the state to have not won a state championship, made history in the Class 8A title game, surviving a late flurry by Homewood-Flossmoor to post a 31-25 victory and earn the Patriots' first championship trophy.

The win caps a perfect season for Stevenson (14-0), ranked the No. 1 team in Illinois all season.

"This was a historic season," Stevenson coach Bill McNamara said. "We went 14-0 and 12 of those 14 teams were in the state playoffs. We beat Homewood-Flossmoor twice. Glenbard West is no cupcake. We played New Trier, which had one loss. We played Loyola, which won the Prep Bowl. We beat state championship caliber football teams over and over again. That's a testament to our young men and the hard work they put in."

The Vikings were down 31-16 with 2:21 left and got a safety and scored a touchdown in 26 seconds to cut its deficit to 31-25 with 1:55 to play. They recovered their on-side kick and were driving, but fumbled away the ball and Stevenson was able to exhale and run out the clock.

"We've had a lot of near misses," said McNamara, who has been coaching at Stevenson as a head coach and assistant coach for the last 25 years. "To bring one home for the Patriot nation is really something special. All the players who wore the green and gold in the past, there were so many alumni football players in the stands, and our guys made it happen."

Stevenson seemed ready to kick into cruise control over the final two minutes.

But then Homewood-Flossmoor caught that flurry of momentum, starting with a tackle of Stevenson running back Jack Joseph in the end zone that resulted in a safety for Justin Chu.

The Vikings got the ball back on the free kick and just 23 seconds later, quarterback Bryce Gray (19-of-29 for 232 yards) found Jared Sharp in the end zone for a touchdown that cut Stevenson's lead to 6 points at 31-25.

Amazingly, Homewood-Flossmoor then recovered its on-side kick and advanced the ball to the Stevenson 9-yard line with 55 seconds left. But Vikings running back Deante Harley-Hampton (17 rushes, 81 yards) then fumbled the ball on a fourth-and-1 and Stevenson linebacker James Mahoney recovered.

The Patriots were then able to run out the clock.

"It was a roller coaster," Stevenson quarterback Willie Bourbon (13-of-20 passes, 144 yards; 50 yards on 10 rushes) said of the final chain of events.

"It was crazy," added linebacker Nick Dillon, who was on the field for the craziness. "(The fumble recovery) was a relief."

Homewood-Flossmoor struck first, just two minutes into the game, with a 3-yard touchdown run by Deante Harley-Hampton. But Stevenson matched that on its first possession with a 1-yard run by Joseph, who finished with 93 yards on 16 carries.

Stevenson and Homewood-Flossmoor then traded field goals (28 yards by Mike Gambino of Stevenson and 29 yards by Morgan Bohlman of Homewood-Flossmoor) before Joseph scored his second touchdown of the day (2-yard run) with 2:37 left in the second quarter. That gave the Patriots a 17-10 lead at halftime.

The second half opened with punts by each team before Stevenson scored on its second possession. The Patriots marched 43 yards on four plays, capped by a 4-yard touchdown run by Tyler Vincent.

Homewood-Flossmoor (11-3) answered with a 2-yard touchdown run by Devonte Harley-Hampton, the twin brother of Deante, that capped a 12-play drive. That cut Stevenson's lead to 24-16 with 2:35 left in the third quarter.

Bourbon gave the Patriots what turned out to be some much needed insurance when he guided Stevenson on a 9-play, 52-yard drive that ended with him running in a 13-yard touchdown.

That gave Stevenson a 31-16 lead with 6:26 left that held for the next four minutes and seemed insurmountable.

"I'm proud of my guys, they battled until the end," Homewood-Flossmoor coach Craig Buzea said. "We told them all we wanted to do is have a chance against those guys and we did have a chance. Sometimes the ball doesn't bounce your way."

Images: Stevenson vs. Homewood-Flossmoor for the Class 8A state football championship

  Stevenson's Cameron Green (7) hauls in a catch on third and long that set up a second-quarter touchdown against Homewood-Flossmoor during Saturday's IHSA Class 8A championship game in Champaign. Rick West/rwest@dailyherald.com
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