Trevians flag football hoping tough losses offer meaningful lessons

A tough stretch competing against some of the area’s best can leave a mark on any team — but it can also lead to something far more important.

That’s the working mindset for New Trier girls flag football, a team that believes its growing stronger every game despite being in the midst of the most challenging stretch of its campaign.

The Trevians came up just short during another tall task, falling 12-7 against the rival Evanston Wildkits on Wednesday, Sept. 17, in Northfield.

“The wins and losses, we care about those, but we don’t focus on those,” New Trier coach Mark Colegrove said. “We care about growth and we care about finishing strong. … We’ve had a long week and tonight was a very good effort from our kids.”

New Trier’s tough week included back-to-back games on Monday and Tuesday against Prospect and Loyola Academy, respectively.

Although the Trevs dropped both of those contests, the team still found plenty of lessons.

“This is all growth playing these tough teams,” Colegrove said. “We have a very tough schedule but what’s great is these kids don’t shy away from the tough competition. They want to compete and I definitely respect that immensely from them.”

The Trevs jumped out to an exciting start against Evanston thanks to a huge third-down play. Senior quarterback Lyla Andelin connected with Ilana Styles for a 76-yard touchdown on third and 16 to put New Trier out in front.

Styles leaped to grab the ball, winning it in traffic over an Evanston defender, then sprinted by the Kits defensive backs all the way to the end zone.

“It was so exciting and it was just a good start to the game for us,” said Styles, the Trevians senior pass-catcher who doubles as a softball standout. “We’ve struggled on offense the past couple of games and so I’m glad that we were able to start off strong and that we had confidence going into the game.”

New Trier’s defense put forward a strong showing throughout the game, holding down for the majority of the night a fast-paced Kits offense that had averaged more than 30 points per outing over its last five games.

Evanston broke through right before halftime when senior quarterback Maggie Conforti finished off a time-consuming drive with an 8-yard scramble that went for a touchdown.

The drive was fueled by a series of tough, timely catches from Evanston’s KyNia Hunt.

The Wildkits could not convert the point-after attempt, leaving New Trier with a 7-6 lead at half.

New Tier’s defense generated a huge turnover on Evanston’s first possession of the third quarter when Lola Donnelly recovered a Wildkits’ fumble. The Trevs then took the ball deep into Evanston’s territory, but could not finish off their second scoring drive of the night.

Isabella Myung and Elizabeth Wold, two of the Trevians linebackers, put forth big-game efforts in helping New Trier limit the Wildkits’ attack.

Evanston opened the fourth quarter with the series its offense needed.

It was Hunt again who produced several big moments during the seven-play drive, and she ultimately capped it off with a 2-yard touchdown run.

The Trevs had one more chance at taking the lead but could not find the end zone on their last series.

Colegrove said he appreciated the great effort from the Trevs throughout the night.

“They’re definitely putting their best effort forward and I think what I love most about this team is their love for each other,” Colegrove said. “That is something that I’m most proud of: that they stick together, which is huge.”

After New Trier’s early score, Evanston’s defense made an adjustment to utilize a double blitz pressure on the Trevians, who Colegrove noted were “ready for, but couldn’t get the ball off quick enough” to counteract the pressure.

“They’re a fast team, they’re well coached and we just didn’t complete passes when we needed to down the stretch,” he said.

A Thursday night loss against Fremd dropped New Trier’s overall mark to 5-7 on the season. But the Trevs remain focused on sticking with the program’s guiding philosophy, its “five standards of success,” and cherishing the close-knit bond they’ve established as a team.

“We have to get better every day, we have to fight for each other and we have to compete,” Colegrove said. “When we’re doing that and we’re having fun with each other that’s all that matters. We want to finish strong in the end, we want to keep building, so these games matter for growth, they matter for a seed, yes, but really we’re wanting to compete down the road and put our best foot forward here as we move on.”

The Record is a nonprofit, nonpartisan community newsroom that relies on reader support to fuel its independent local journalism.

Become a member of The Record to fund responsible news coverage for your community.

Already a member? You can make a tax-deductible donation at any time.