Matchup: First round Class 8A playoffs, 24th-seeded Lyons (5-4) at ninth-seeded New Trier (8-1), 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30
How they got here: New Trier won its first six games of the season to clinch the automatic berth, while Lyons won five of its first six games and earned enough playoff points to qualify.
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New Trier stat leaders:
QB: Jr. Clay Czyzynski, 940 passing yards, 690 rushing yards
WR: Jr. Eric Nicholas, 310 receiving yards
Defense: Sr. Colin Casas, 55 tackles, 7 sacks
Telling number: 85.7 — Brian Doll’s winning percentage at New Trier. Doll is in his second season as coach of his alma mater. The Trevians went 10-2 last year and advanced to the quarterfinals of the Class 8A playoffs before losing to eventual state champion Stevenson 38-10. New Trier’s lone loss this year was a 24-21 defeat to Central Suburban South champion Maine South in Week 7. New Trier had a winning percentage of 54.1 in the six years before Doll arrived and never advanced past the second round of the playoffs during that time.
Behind the numbers: Four of the team’s top offensive skill players are juniors: Czyzynski at quarterback, Nicholas at receiver, Francis Fay at running back and receiver and Max Rosenthal at running back. New Trier wants to win immediately, but Doll has the Trevians set up nicely for the future, too.
Under the radar player to watch: Jr. RB/WR Francis Fay — Rosenthal gets most of the carries and runs between the tackles, but Fay has offered a good change of pace for the offense with his explosiveness out of the backfield. The 5-foot-10, 165-pounder also lines up in the slot and is a threat in the passing game. His 1-yard touchdown run with 3 minutes, 3 seconds left in the fourth quarter was the difference in New Trier’s 14-12 win over Evanston in Week 5.
Sound bite: “Obviously, the goal was to change things quickly. Winning more football games and being successful and competing with some of the bigger names around the state was an expectation, so this is not a complete surprise to me.” — Doll
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