The last thing any Stevenson football opponent wants to see is another member of the Marchese family.
Like it or not, they’re going to be around a little bit longer.
Joe, a standout offensive lineman, is playing for Maryland. Younger brother Jimmy, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound inside linebacker, is causing headaches for the top-ranked and 12-0 Patriots, who advanced to Saturday’s Class 8A semifinals with a 38-10 victory against New Trier.
Joining him on the team are 6-3, 170-pound twin sophomore brothers Henry and Michael. Henry has been a varsity receiver all season while Michael was recently called up to the expanded playoff roster.
“It’s pretty cool having them around,” Jimmy Marchese said. “Henry’s grown a lot this year, and it’s great to see him play. And now with Mike up, he might not get a lot of playing time now, but during practice he does a lot for this team. These guys are a lot more like me and we’ve been together every step of the way this year.”
Jimmy’s 2013 season ended in the second round of the playoffs with an ACL injury. He had to stand on the sidelines as the Patriots advanced to the semifinals before losing to Loyola, 15-14.
“You never think an injury like that is going to happen, and it happened so fast,” he said. “You hear people talk about playing the game like it’s your last because you never know if or when it’s going to end. But I know that now. Having that experience now allows me to focus on the moment and do whatever I can to help this team.
Next up for the Patriots is No. 2 seed and unbeaten Glenbard West, a 7A semifinalist last year and the 2012 state champion. A win Saturday in Glen Ellyn would lift Stevenson to its first title game since 2002.
“Players like Jimmy are the reason Stevenson wins football games,” Patriots coach Bill McNamara said. “He returned this year bigger and better than ever, and he went through an intense rehab to back to greatness. He’s a quiet leader, and other players follow his lead on and off the field.”
Stevenson has eight 10-win seasons since 1995, but the Patriots never have won a state championship. That could change in a span of two games.
More Top Picks Best Bike Trailers For Kids
“It’s definitely something we think about,” Jimmy Marchese. “Our class knew we had a good group coming in. We’ve thought about this since the semis last year, and we have some great senior leadership on this team.
“But we can also put it on our coaches, who never slack off. We can never be complacent because they’re there every day keeping us going.”