The weight of the wait dissipated late for No. 1 Stevenson on Saturday.
Trailing by as many as 17 points early in the second half of a game postponed Friday due to weather, the Patriots overcame a disastrous defensive first half and quarterback Willie Bourbon scored four short touchdowns in the final 15 minutes of a 33-24 victory at No. 3 Homewood Flossmoor. .
“People say we’ve got experience,” Bourbon said. “Going all the way down to the semis last year and losing by one gave us confidence. But it also helped us know that we have to play four quarters.
“We knew going into halftime we still had two quarters to play. We knew we could come back and the defense would step up”
The Patriots allowed 261 total yards in the first half, mostly behind the play of Homewood-Flossmoor quarterback Bryce Gray, who completed 12 of 18 attempts for 164 yards and two touchdowns before the half. With the score tied 7-all, Gray hit Kendrick Pryor on a 35-yard jump ball score and tossed a short pass to Deante Harley-Hampton for 3 yards right before the half for a 21-7 lead.
The Vikings (1-1) took the opening drive of the second half to Stevenson’s 11, only to settle for a 25-yard Morgan Bohlman field goal and a 24-7 lead.
From there, Stevenson held H-F to 16 plays and 41 yards. Bourbon helped engineer three long drives, diving into the end zone from the 1 and 3. His 2-yard plunge with 5 minutes, 22 seconds remaining gave Stevenson its first lead.
More Top Picks Best Computerized Telescopes For Beginners
The Vikings had one last chance in the final five minutes, but Patrick O’Connell sacked Gray for a 6-yard loss on fourth-and-12 with 3:14 left.
“Coach told us that when we play loose and have fun, that’s when we’re at our best. We were just too tight in the first half,” O’Connell said. “But once we started flying around as a unit, good things happened.”
Player of the game: Willie Bourbon, Stevenson, 19 carries, 66 yards, 4 TDs; 20-for-30, 189 yards.
Key performers: Stevenson — Tyler Vincent, 9 catches, 57 yards; Patrick O’Connell, 3 tackles for loss, sack. Homewood Flossmoor — Bryce Gray, 23-for-34, 247 yards, 2 TDs; Devonte Harley-Hampton, 15 carries, 65 yards.