With Lake Zurich coming into Friday’s football game 6-0, and the Patriots at 5-1, it was predicted to be a close game. Coming into the game, the Patriot defense had given up 31 points in the five games they had played against Illinois schools, proving to be a force to be reckoned with.

However, Stevenson’s offense had a couple costly turnovers in the red zone late in the game and could not get on the scoreboard in a 28-0 loss. The weather could have been part of the reason Stevenson could not score, but the Lake Zurich defense shut down the Patriots’ run game, especially running back Jean-Marc Etienne ’20, and the offense could not adapt. Etienne had 14 carries for 30 yards, and almost half of Stevenson’s 151 rushing yards came at the end of the fourth quarter from Ryan Miller ’19.

With the run game not working, Stevenson could not get the pass game working, accruing only 94 yards through the air. Quarterback Grayson Kubow ’18 completed only 11 of 25 passes and threw three interceptions, a season high, struggling to find any open receivers all game.

Meanwhile, the Patriot defense could not stop the Lake Zurich offense which helped contribute to the lack of momentum for Stevenson. Lake Zurich quarterback Evan Lewandowski completed 13 of 16 passes for 216 yards and three touchdowns, including a 54 yard passing touchdown. As well, starting running back Joey Stutzman accumulated 68 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries. A defense that has been dominant all year tied their season high in points allowed in a crucial game for Stevenson.

The loss drops Stevenson down to second in the conference, and 5-2 overall. The Patriots’ next game is Oct. 15 at Stevenson where they will look to bounce back. They then finish out the regular season at home against Warren Township on Oct. 20.