Stevenson Patriots hunger for another state title
They fattened up, winning the maximum amount of games for the first time in their history and, as a result, tasting victory at state.
Stevenson's Patriots hadn't enjoyed that bite before, either.
And yet, with the 2015 season having arrived, instead of wanting to the loosen their belt and continuing savoring what they worked so hard to achieve last season, the Patriots are still, seemingly, starved for success.
With that attitude and appetite, it's no wonder Stevenson has been to the state playoffs every year since 1989 (26 straight seasons).
"We're hungry and we know that it's a long road to get to the state championship," said coach Bill McNamara, whose Patriots capped a 14-0 campaign last year by beating Homewood-Flossmoor 31-25 in the Class 8A title game in Champaign. "Part of our process is simply just to take it day by day. It's our goal to get better every day."
Gone is tons of talent and leadership, including three-year varsity starters in quarterback Willie Bourbon (Northwestern, baseball), wide receiver Cameron Green (Northwestern), linebacker Jason Vravick (Columbia) and linemen Nick Dillon (Eastern Michigan) and Patrick O'Connell (Ball State). All were all-conference selections last season, as were running back Jack Joseph, nose tackle Blake Drazner, linebacker Jimmy Marchese (Illinois) and defensive back Kevin Pearson.
The offense took a lesser hit than the defense, as all-conference wide receiver Jack Sorenson takes over at quarterback, a position he's played his whole life, including two years ago on the sophomore level. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Sorenson committed to Miami (Ohio) this summer. He caught a team-leading 63 passes last season. Tyler Vincent moves from slot receiver to running back, replacing Joseph, whose breakout senior campaign saw him rush for 1,230 yards and 20 touchdowns. Vincent scored 9 TDs last season as a junior.
Vincent was the only non-senior listed as a starter for the state championship game. But his new role as lead running back means he might not start on defense. That means the Patriots could enter the season with 11 new starters on defense.
"Don't be fooled by that," said McNamara, whose 2014 defense held six opponents to 6 or fewer points. "We have some quality kids that are on the defensive side of the ball. We're really excited about how we play defensively. We put a lot of emphasis on our defense. So I'm expecting great things from them."
The leader of the defense could be senior linebacker Mike Maskalunas, who played heavy minutes last season.
With Green (59 receptions, 10 TDs) having graduated and Sorenson having moved to QB, the receiving group will include junior twins Henry and Michael Marchese. Henry played plenty of snaps last year. Michael came up for the playoffs.
"We're expecting great things out of those guys," McNamara said of the Marchese brothers. "They're pretty dynamic players."
"We have some great wideouts," McNamara added. "We have some good pieces to the puzzle."
Where the Patriots boast experience is the offensive line, which features returning starters Maskalunas, Jake Steinberger, Cade Gilbert and Jeremy Horwitz. This area is typically a strength of the team.
"We're excited," McNamara said of his O-line.
Stevenson is excited to defend its North Suburban Lake Division and state championships.
McNamara will make sure the hunger won't subside.