When Francis Fay was a freshman at New Trier, he watched from the stands as his brother’s team beat Evanston on the road.
Fay, now a junior, said that game, a 17-0 New Trier win, convinced him to play varsity football for the Trevians.
“I remember it was about 30 degrees and raining,” Fay said. “Not many people wanted to go. But it was an electric atmosphere. From then on, I pictured myself playing in this game.”
In the 106th meeting between the two schools on Friday, Sept. 25, Fay was a difference-maker in New Trier’s 14-12 victory at Evanston. His 1-yard touchdown run with 3 minutes, 3 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter proved to be the game-winning points in the Central Suburban South opener.
Fay, who starts at halfback and in the secondary, finished with nine touches for 28 yards and two pass break-ups on defense. It’s a game Fay said he won’t soon forget. He planned to reach out his brother, Daniel Fay, a 2014 graduate, as soon as he had a chance.
“I’m sure he watched the game or followed it,” Francis Fay said of his older brother. “He will be the first person I call to talk about the game.”
New Trier coach Brian Doll said it’s important that the Evanston game is meaningful to the players.
“I got a ton of e-mails and texts this week about the game,” said Doll, who played for the Trevians and graduated in 1995. “Our kids are passionate about it, and it was good to be in a tight one with a playoff-like atmosphere.”
The two teams never were separated by more than eight points, and the outcome wasn’t decided until the final minute of the fourth quarter.
After Francis Fay’s 1-yard run put the Trevians (5-0, 1-0) ahead 14-6, Evanston (3-2, 0-1) answered with an 11-play scoring series that ended with senior Tray Banks’ 3-yard touchdown run. But senior quarterback Matt Little’s two-point pass fell incomplete in the back of the end zone.
Evanston’s onside kick was recovered by New Trier junior fullback and linebacker Grant Higgins. Higgins’ older brother, John Higgins, played for the Trevians and now is an assistant coach in the program.
“That was really fun for me to see,” said John Higgins, who was a senior for the 100th meeting in 2009, a 27-0 win by New Trier. “I always looked forward to this game, and I still do. It’s such a fun atmosphere.”
Before he boarded the bus back to New Trier, Francis Fay thought back to the 2013 game.
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“I remember Kevin Mulhern scoring a touchdown, and I told myself I wanted to do that, too,” Francis Fay said.
Notes
* New Trier’s other touchdown came on junior quarterback Clay Czyzynski’s 1-yard run on the opening possession of the second half. It punctuated a 13-play, 75-drive that lasted more than six minutes. Czyzynski ran 18 times for 83 yards, including eight times for 39 yards on the scoring series.
The Trevians are 5-0 for a second consecutive season under Doll, who became the coach in 2014. Prior to Doll’s arrival, the last time New Trier won its first five games was in 1996.
Evanston took a 3-0 lead into the half on a 31-yard field goal by junior Owen Ennis. It was set up by senior safety Immanuel Woodberry’s interception at the other end of the field. Ennis also kicked a 33-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter.
Evanston’s offense was paced by senior running back Micquel Roseman, who carried the ball 21 times for 108 yards. Banks touched the ball eight times for 109 yards, including catching a 50-yard pass that led to the team’s lone touchdown.
Despite the defeat, Evanston holds the edge in the rivalry with a 54-47-5 record. The Wildkits’ last win was an 18-15 victory in 2010.
Twitter: @harnesspreps