Trevians can’t hang with Titans, look to make up for it in playoffs

A game that was circled on New Trier’s schedule all season quickly turned into an indelible night for all the wrong reasons. 

For the fifth season in a row, Glenbrook South left the Trevians searching for answers, as the Titans pummeled New Trier 45-0 on Friday, Oct. 24, in Glenview. 

The Titans took advantage of a host of early New Trier mistakes, putting the Trevs in an insurmountable hole only minutes into the game. GBS scored 17 first-quarter points that set the Trevians on their heels from the get-go.  

“Tonight was not a good night by our offense or defense or special teams,” New Trier head coach Brian Doll said. “After having a game last week where all three aspects were flying high, this was the complete opposite.”

New Trier’s opening drive proved to be a fitting example of how the night played out for the Trevs. A dropped pass, a holding penalty and a botched punt resulted in South starting its first series of the game inside New Trier’s red zone. 

It took the Titans only five plays to find the end zone from there, finishing off the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run. 

The Trevs did not fare any better on their second series. Another holding penalty paired with a second dropped pass led to a three-and-out. The Titans then took the ball 40 yards in eight plays to essentially bury the Trevs only eight minutes into the game. 

New Trier allowed the Titans to convert on fourth-and-17, and GBS finished the drive one play later with a second short touchdown run. 

“We just made mistakes at the beginning of the game,” Doll said. “We were not able to execute the way we wanted to be able to execute, then we made a big special-teams error to start the game. … You can’t do that against a playoff-caliber team. That’s a rough way to start the game.” 

GBS tacked on a 38-yard field goal to take a 17-0 lead after the first quarter. New Trier could not move the chains for a first down until its fourth offensive series, and it mustered only 9 yards of offense across their first three drives. 

Titans quarterback Andrew Bonvechio fired a 6-yard touchdown pass with just under four minutes to go in the second quarter to push South’s lead to 24-0.

GBS’s excellent opening half was not yet done yet, though. 

A 63-yard pass play put the Titans deep in New Trier’s red zone with 90 seconds to play in the second quarter. Bonvechio then threw his second touchdown pass of the night, a 4-yard strike to Colin Davis. 

GBS kept the pressure coming in the second half.

After a quiet third quarter from both sides, the Titans found the end zone twice more in the fourth. A 17-yard pass and a 33-yard run accounted for South’s 14 points in the final stanza. 

“We really didn’t have an answer for anything that they did tonight,” Doll said. “We could see a lot of the stuff that they’re doing by formation but we just weren’t able to recognize it on the field. We just struggled. We struggled in every aspect tonight and … tonight was nothing like we’ve played the last couple of weeks; it was a completely different kind of intensity and feeling on the field.” 

The defeat was a disappointing end to an otherwise solid New Trier regular season that saw the Trevians finish with a winning record (5-4 overall, 3-2 in conference).

Playoff picture

New Trier will look to forget their Week 9 game as quickly as possible as the team now prepares for its first playoff matchup since 2021. 

The IHSA announced the playoff pairings the evening of Saturday, Oct. 25, with the Trevians drawing Warren (8-1) out of Gurnee. The Blue Devils are led by star running back Aaron Stewart, who is averating 224 rushing yards per game and is approaching 7,000 as a Blue Devil.

“It’s the first time we’ve been back in the playoffs in a while, so that’s going to be a big point of emphasis for us this week, going out and enjoying that moment and playing strong,” Doll said. 

The Trevs are cherishing the opportunity to be back in the postseason and are hoping to “take advantage” of the chance that’s now in front of them. 

“It’s fun when you get out there (in the playoffs),” Doll said. “Now you’ve got some of the sophomores coming up. The leaves start falling off the trees, the air smells a little different. It’s cold, it’s crisp and I’m excited for our kids to have that opportunity. 

“I’m also excited for them to have the week of focusing on a playoff opponent knowing that this is the state playoffs. They’ve earned the right to be in there, and we’ll see what we can do with it.” 

New Trier will be without one of its key defensive players as senior Aaron Pressman suffered a season-ending injury in Week 8. The Trevs also played Week 9 without standout defensive lineman Anthony Aguilar, whose lower-body injury sidelined him against the Titans. Doll said he expects Aguilar to be back for the playoffs next week.

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