New Trier gets back on track in big way, smashing rival Evanston on the road

A running belief on the New Trier sideline has been that the team’s experience gained from playing in several early-season, one-score games would make a difference come October. 

As their archrival Evanston drove down the field Saturday afternoon with a chance to put the Week 7 result in flux, it was New Trier’s battled-tested defense that turned belief into reality. 

With the ball deep in New Trier territory, the Wildkits looked poised to set the game up for a down-to-the wire finish. But senior Aaron Pressman, one of the Trevians’ tried-and-true defenders, slammed the door shut. 

Pressman intercepted a Wildkits’ pass on the first play of the fourth quarter, all but ending Evanston’s hopes for a comeback.

The Trevians then went on to bury the Kits with two late touchdowns en route to a commanding 35-6 win on Saturday, Oct. 11, at Murney Lazier Field. 

“Our biggest theme has been finishing all four quarters, so we couldn’t let them have a chance to get back in the game,” Pressman said. “We dialed in, we tried to stay calm, and once we got that interception, we knew we just needed to keep playing our game and play smart and we have this game on lock.” 

Pressman’s timely turnover on Saturday was his latest feat in a season that’s been full of heroics for the senior leader, who sealed New Trier’s Week 1 victory over Naperville North with a game-winning tackle for loss on fourth-and-goal.

“I think today comes back to some of the early games we’ve had where we played late into games,” New Trier head coach Brian Doll said. “Having that experience and then being more comfortable in these situations (makes a big difference). 

“Aaron had a huge play in the first game where we stuffed them on fourth down, and let’s just say it, I don’t think Aaron was nervous at all today in that situation. I think he was very comfortable. Credit to our kids for playing some tough games early in the season and fighting through adversity.” 

How it happened 

The Trevians couldn’t have drawn up a better start to Saturday’s game. New Trier drove the ball 80 yards on 11 plays in just under five minutes to open the scoring.

Junior quarterback Jackie Ryder finished the drive with a 2-yard quarterback keeper to get the Trevs off and running. 

New Trier put its explosiveness on display midway through the second quarter when Ryder connected with senior receiver Keefer Baxter for a 47-yard touchdown that gave the Trevs a 14-0 lead. 

The Trevs went right back at it on their next drive, covering 62 yards in five plays for their third touchdown.

The score was set up with a 46-yard reception from junior Luke Mastros. Running back Declan O’Meara finished the drive two plays later with a 1-yard touchdown run. 

The Wildkits got back into the game with two field goals (22 and 27 yards) on their ensuing possessions but Evanston’s offensive production stopped there. 

After Pressman’s interception, Ryder and Baxter linked up once more for another touchdown. On third-and-long inside the redzone, Ryder tossed a perfect 18-yard pass to Baxter, who raced by an Evanston defender to bring the ball to the end zone. 

New Trier had one more big play at the ready midway through the fourth quarter when Ryder fired a 53-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Benjamin Sullivan for the game’s final score. 

The Trevians put on an aerial assault against Evanston. Ryder finished the day with 290 passing yards and four total touchdowns (three passing, one rushing). Three New Trier receivers had over 50 yards as Emmett Koshkarian hauled in a team-high five receptions for 74 yards, while Baxter and Sullivan had 65 and 70, respectively. 

“We knew that it would be tough to run the ball against their front guys, so we knew that to win this game we were going to have to be able to pass the ball effectively,” Ryder said. “We were able to make the plays that we needed to make when we needed to make them and it just worked out today.”

The Week 7 win was a bounceback effort in a big way for the Trevs, who entered the game on the heels of perhaps their most disappointing performance of the season.

“I think there was just a ton of focus this week,” Doll said. “I think we felt like we laid an egg last week (against Maine South) and didn’t play up to our potential. We thought we had a good game plan going into last week and it just didn’t happen. Today, things kind of clicked.

“I can give credit to so many different areas, but really every aspect of the game today was really on par. A lot of positives to take away from today.” 

The victory was extra sweet for New Trier as it was the first time since 2022 that the Trevs have beaten the Wildkits. The game also marked the first time since 2019 that New Trier has topped Evanston in Evanston, as the Trevs had dropped two straight road games to the Kits including a 2023 heartbreaker that ended in a stunning Wildkits comeback.

“We were ready for this game for the whole week,” Pressman said. “I didn’t want to end my senior season off losing to Evanston, so we came down ready to go. This win just means a lot to us, all of us seniors really wanted to finish with winning versus Evanston. We just put our minds to it and we got it done today.” 

New Trier now heads into the final two weeks of the season with a clear path toward the postseason. The Trevs need to win one of their remaining two games to secure a spot in the playoffs.

New Trier will welcome Glenbrook North (2-5) to Northfield next Friday night.

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