Wildkits Football Falls to New Trier, Rebounds Against Niles West

By Paul Harris-Hertel

The Wildkits fulfilled their coach's prediction and won the homecoming game: They beat Nile's West Wolves 32-26 in overtime.

The ETHS football team dropped their first CSL South game, losing to rival New Trier on Sept. 21, 45-18. But Evanston bounced back to even their record at 3-3 with a win in Saturday's homecoming game against Niles West, beating the Wolves 32-26 in overtime.

After the loss to New Trier, Kits head coach Tony Johnson could not think of any bright spots in his team's performance, which was littered with penalties and missed tackles.

"Maybe we'll be able to pull something [positive] from film, but not much comes to mind right now," Johnson said.

The Evanston defense had trouble stopping the New Trier running game all night, as the Trevians, who improved to 4-1 with the win, scored five of their six touchdowns on the ground.

But the game that ended in a rout started out close, as the Kits responded to New Trier's first score with one of their own. The Trevians scored on the game's opening possession and their defense forced an Evanston punt. But the Wildkit defense forced New Trier to fumble and recover at the Trevian 39. Wildkit quarterback Ryan Roveda completed a 27-yard pass to Brian Murphy, and running back Michael Bolden scored three plays later on a 5-yard run.

The Trevians scored touchdowns on each of their next two possessions. On both drives, Evanston had an opportunity to stop the Trevians on fourth down but was not able to do it, with New Trier's score coming on a fourth and one play.

"We couldn't get anything going up front, and we got no stops defensively," Johnson lamented. "As time went on, they just kept going at us, and [we couldn't respond]."

Evanston did get within nine late in the first half, putting together a nine-play scoring drive during which most of the damage was done through the air. Roveda connected with Bolden for a 53-yard gain and hit Thomas Wharton for 19 yards on third and 13, before finding Murphy in the end zone on fourth and goal.

The Trevians answered quickly, capping a 10-play drive by punching it in from four yards out with just over a minute left in the first half.

The second half got off to a bad start when the Wildkits fumbled the opening kickoff and New Trier recovered at the Evanston 20. Four plays later, New Trier scored on a nine-yard run to give them a 35-12 lead.

New Trier added a touchdown and a field goal to take a 33-point lead after three quarters, before Bolden scored a touchdown on a 26-yard run with 11 minutes left in the game.

Despite the nature of the loss, Johnson predicted his team would come back with a much better performance against Niles West. He was proven right when Bolden rushed for a 6-yard touchdown on the fourth play of overtime, and defensive lineman Marx Succes sacked the Wolves quarterback on fourth down to preserve a nail-biting victory in a game that was delayed over an hour because of lightning.

The Kits held a 26-20 lead late in the game, and came within 1:46 of shutting out West in the second half. West scored on a 13-yard touchdown pass to tie the game, although the missed extra point that followed would come back to haunt the Wolves.

After an Evanston punt, West completed four passes to lead them from their own 26 to the Evanston 18, setting up a 35-yard field goal attempt with three seconds left in the game. But the West kicker missed, sending the game into overtime and setting up Bolden's run and the valiant defensive stand.

The winning score was Bolden's third touchdown of the game. His first, a 35-yard scamper on the third play from scrimmage, gave Evanston a 6-0 lead. Coach Johnson gave a lot of the credit for Bolden's big day to the blocking up front.

"We knew we needed good blocking from our fullback and offensive line," said Johnson. "If we got that, we felt we could move on them."

After the Kits scored on their first series, Niles West responded in kind. Their eight-play drive culminated in a 12-yard touchdown pass and an extra point gave the Wolves the 7-6 lead.

Evanston's Jeron Dorsey returned the ensuing kickoff 70 yards to put the ball at the West 20, setting up a 10-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Roveda to Tim Himrod. But the conversion pass fell incomplete, and the Wolves took a two-point lead on a 5-yard run early in the second quarter.

Roveda threw his second touchdown of the game, a 40-yard pass to Allante Terry with just over four minutes left in the first half, and Bolden added the two-point conversion to put the Kits up by six.

But as they found a way to do for most of the game, the Wolves answered an Evanston touchdown with one of their own, ting the score at 20 just before halftime.

The win kept the Wildkits' playoff hopes alive, although for Johnson, the playoffs have already begun.
"We need to play with the mentality that each week is a playoff round," the coach said. "Next week [at Glenbrook South] is round one."

Photo by Paul-Harris Herte

ETHS Scoreboard

Football
New Trier 45, Evanston 18
Evanston 32, Niles West 26 (OT)

Girls Volleyball
Evanston d. Maine South 25-17, 15-25, 25-21
Evanston d. Waukegan 25-14, 25-21

Girls Tennis
Evanston 7, Regina 0
Evanston winners
Larson d. Strenk 6-0, 6-0
Hohman d. Raush 6-0, 6-3
Moore d. Donohue 6-1, 6-0
Schnoll d. Pike 6-2, 6-1
Daw/O'Leary d. Qurwa/Baker 4-6, 6-1, 6-3
Doyle/Nelson d. Kelly/Strenk 6-3, 6-0
Smith/Hoopingarner d. Gobb/Kovach 6-0, 6-3
New Trier 6, Evanston 1
Evanston winner
Hohman d. Burke 6-3, 4-6, 6-2
Evanston 7, Waukegan 0
Evanston winners
Larson d. Beck 6-0, 6-0
Hohman d. Vasquez 6-1, 6-0
Moore d. Hernandez 6-1, 6-0
Schnoll d. Lugunas 6-0, 6-1
Doyle/Nelson d. Gonzalez/Sanchez 6-2, 6-1
Daw/O'Leary d. Middleton/D. Gonzalez 6-0, 6-1
Smith/Hoopingarner d. Palido/Ramirez 6-0, 6-0

Girls Swimming
Evanston 107, Glenbrook North 79
Evanston results:
200-yard medley relay: 2. Evanston 1:51.06, 3. Evanston 1:54.48
200 freestyle: 1. Thompson 1:58.50, 3. Kulman 2:00.68, 4. Ramsey 2:03.25
200 individual medley: 1. Walsh 2:16.32,
2. S. Borchers 2:19.54, 4. Schweizer 2:22.22
50 freestyle: 2. Frigo 25.09, 3. Kruse, 25.36, Mustoe 26.48
Diving: 1. Johnston 177.20, 5. Lietzau 115.25, 6. Harper 113.55
100 butterfly: 1. G. Borchers 1:00.53, 2. S. Borchers 1:02.42, 5. Ticus 1:07.74
100 freestyle: 2. Kulman 55.91, 3. Frigo 56.09, 5. Mustoe 58.30
500 freestyle: 1. Thompson 5:16.89, 2. Ramsey 5:25.53, 3. Walsh 5:31.91
200 freestyle relay: 2. Evanston 1:40.34, 3. Evanston 1:43.75, 4. Evanston 1:51.50
100 backstroke: 1. G. Borchers 1:01.24, 5. Norris 1:06.70, 6. Eder 1:07.63
100 breaststroke: 1. Schweizer 1:11.03, 2. Strickler 1:14.71, 3. Hatcher 1:15.59
400 freestyle relay: 2. Evanston 3:46.36, 4. Evanston 4:01.94

Boys Soccer
Glenbrook North 2, Evanston 0
Glenbrook South 2, Evanston 1
Goal: Pelsoci
Niles West 3, Evanston 2
Goals: Kauffman, Zerbe

Girls Cross Country
Evanston 27, Niles West 28
Glenbrook South 26, Evanston 29
Evanston times: Fenn 19:25, Page 19:59, Delaney 20:27, Tarkington 20:59, Roberts , 21:06
Evanston 15, Waukegan 50
Evanston times: Fenn 20:57, Page 22:10, Tarkington 23:01, Roberts 23:02, Delaney, 23:06
Wheaton North Classic: 25th out of 30 teams
Niles West Invite: 8th out of 15 teams

Boys Golf
Evanston 150, Glenbrook North 155
Low scores: Wadden 36, Peters, 37, Strzalka 38, Sung 39, Bielawski 39, Kohnken 39
Evanston 127, Niles West 143, Niles North 161
Low scores: Peters 29, Strzalka 31, Bielawski 33, Wadden 34
New Trier 152, Evanston 156
Low scores: Sung 38, Peters 39, Bielawski 39, Wadden 40, Strzalka 40, Bostrom 40
CSL Conference: 3rd place
Low scores: Strzalka 75, Bielawski 75, Wadden 75, Kohnken 77
Vernon Hills Invite: 1st place out of 8 teams
Low scores: Strzalka 38, Kohnken 38, Sung 40, Peters 44

ETHS Grads Lead Wash. U. Soccer Team to Victory

By Paul Harris-Hertel

Freshman Nat Zenner scored twice and older brother Elie, a junior, netted another goal to lead the Washington University in St. Louis men's soccer team to a 3-1 win last Wednesday  night at Fontbonne University.  The Evanston natives scored Wash U's three second-half goals during a span of two minutes.

Elie sent a cross through the goal box to his brother on the left side, and Nat beat FU's goalkeeper, Jess Jobe, to the far post for the first goal at the 75:49 mark. About 30 seconds later, Elie took a free kick from 30 yards out and bent the shot around and into the upper far post for the game-winning goal at the 76:21 mark. A minute and a half later, Nat notched his second goal of the game after corralling a loose ball outside the goal box and placing it over Jobe's outstretched arms.

Girls Volleyball Gets Two Big Wins

By Paul Harris-Hertel

The ETHS girls volleyball team huddles before last Tuesday's match against Waukegan.
Photo by Paul Harris-Hertel

The Evanston girls volleyball team improved their record to 12-6 this season with wins last week over conference rivals Maine South and Waukegan.  Head coach Pam MacPherson described her first season at Evanston Township High School as "rocky" after the Waukegan match, but added that she was encouraged by the strides she saw her players make during their most recent victories.

"We showed great mental improvement versus Maine South and Waukegan," MacPherson said.  "We have great athletes, but we have to learn how to play our mental game in order for our athleticism to shine through."

If the progress she has noticed in the past week continues, MacPherson believes the team will make its presence felt come playoff time.

"If we learn from the last couple of weeks, we could go far," she said.  "But we have to learn from our losses and continue to improve."

Against Maine South, the Wildkits won the first game 25-17 but lost the second game to South and fell behind in the third game before rallying to take the deciding third game 25-21. 

Against Waukegan, Evanston led 16-13 in the first game before the Bulldogs called a timeout.  The timeout seemed to do more for the Wildkits than for their opponents, as Evanston won the game going away, 25-14. 

In the second game, the Wildkits thwarted a Waukegan comeback attempt.  Leading 24-17, Evanston allowed the Bulldogs to win four straight points before holding on for the 25-21 victory.

This year has been full of milestones for MacPherson.  Not only is it her first season coaching at Evanston, it is her first year coaching a high school team.  She was the head women's volleyball coach at Kenyon College in Ohio, last coaching there in the 2003-04 season. While calling the transition a learning experience, MacPherson also stressed that her players and assistants have made the change easier, with the latter group helping to ease the workload when she had a baby at the beginning of the season.  So far, it has been an enjoyable first year for MacPherson, and if the improvement she sees in her team continues, it could get even better.

The girls will visit Niles West on Thursday at 6 p.m.

AYSO

The fall season of Evanston AYSO has returned to the local parks. All  teams will be playing every Sunday through October. Pictured  are players from the U-8 girls division's "Silver Lightening" and "Orange Fireballs" teams.  Story and photo by Susan Lacy Ryan.