First-half hail mary helps New Trier slay Glenbrook South, earn first playoff win in 10 years

If you’re going to get one play on offense, you might as well make the most of it. 

That was the mindset of New Trier football senior Ty Vanderkamp as he lined up for his first offensive snap of the season on the Trevians final play before halftime on Friday night.

Vanderkamp, a former wide receiver who now exclusively plays as a defensive back, hauled in a 37-yard hail mary from senior quarterback Jackie Ryder in the very back of the end zone for an improbable Trevians’ touchdown. 

The miraculous score was the latest highlight-reel play for New Trier in a season full of them, and it proved to be a moment that helped the Trevs secure a season-defining victory. 

New Trier defeated its conference rival, Glenbrook South 21-6 in the first round of the IHSA Class 8A playoffs on Friday, Oct. 30, at Robert Naughton Field in Northfield. 

“It was an awesome feeling,” Vanderkamp said of the implausible play, noting the Trevs had only practiced the play once during their preparations for the postseason matchup. “The momentum we had going into half, everybody getting riled up. … I feel like that play really just got us going into the second half.” 

New Trier’s win over the Titans was its first playoff victory since 2016. 

“It feels amazing,” New Trier head coach Brian Doll said. “It’s great to do it here and it’s great to do it with our community here. These guys played their asses off tonight. I’m just so proud of so many different things. It feels good. It feels like it did 10 years ago. Tonight was really awesome.” 

Defense shuts down Titans

While New Trier’s high-scoring offense (40+ points per game) has made headlines this season, it was the defense that stole the show in the playoff affair.

After Glenbrook South scored 28 on New Trier in Week 8, the Trevians defense held the Titans without a touchdown on Friday.

New Trier forced two turnovers: an interception by Will Molloy on pass tipped by Cole Mason and a fumble recovery by Declan O’Meara following a crushing quarterback hit from Mason.

The Trevians also sacked South’s quarterback four times and forced a trio of turnovers on downs.

“We were all just so fired up by this game,” said Mason, New Trier’s senior defensive lineman who had two sacks and the forced fumble. “We came out here and knew what we had to do tonight. We knew our season was on the line and we couldn’t let this special team and this special talent go to waste.” 

The defense’s ability to fully grasp the Titans offense was a key reason for their success in the rematch. 

“Probably the biggest difference was just how locked in the defense was in understanding what Glenbrook South does well and then just saying we’re going to stop it,” Doll said. “These guys worked really hard in the classroom, they worked really hard in the offseason, and for them to get this win, it’s a real credit to them.”

The six points allowed Friday night were the fewest New Trier has allowed in a playoff game since 2015. 

Liang lights up GBS again

With close to 80 yards and a touchdown, Paul Liang made his presence felt during New Trier’s Week 8 win over the Titans. In the rematch against South, Liang was even more of a difference-maker. 

The junior breakout got New Trier on the board Friday night with a dazzling 65-yard punt return in the first quarter. The play came after New Trier forced a three-and-out on GBS’s first possession. 

“Originally, the play was a bad snap so I didn’t even know if the punt was going to get off but I saw the kick was going toward the sideline, and our coaches had been telling me to try and catch any punt this week with (GBS’s) scheme, so that’s what I did,” Liang said of the play. “I made one move, just kept going down the sideline and I just kept seeing block after block that was there. I give all credit to my blockers.” 

Liang’s impact on the contest was far from over.

After Molloy’s interception in the second quarter, Ryder fired a bullet pass up the seam to Liang, who juked past the first GBS defender and raced to the end zone for a 58-yard touchdown. 

Notably, Liang had two long punt returns against the Titans in the first matchup, one of which he took to the end zone, but both were called back because of penalties. 

It was a quiet night overall for the Trevians offense by its own lofty standards. One of 8A’s highest-scoring units was held to a season-low 21 points. 

Ryder finished with 164 yards passing and two touchdowns. Liang’s five catches for 102 yards were both team-highs. Running back Throy Nightingale Jr. had 68 total yards. 

‘Everything We’ve Done Has Led Up To This Moment’

The Trevians postseason performance is particularly special to the group for several reasons, but the two factors at the forefront are a second win over the rival Titans and the program’s first playoff victory in 10 years. 

“We’ve been looking forward to this moment for so long,” Liang said of earning a postseason win. “It feels great that all our hard work paid off over the offseason and in practice. Everything we’ve done has led up to this moment” 

Like many of the Trevs on the roster, O’Meara, until earlier this season, had not experienced a win over Glenbrook South in his time at a football player. That feeling is now only a memory. 

“I’ve been in the New Trier program since third grade; we never beat GBS until this year. We got two for a dollar this year,” O’Meara said. “I thought the first one felt good, but I can’t even compare it to this one.”

A large cohort of the team also felt driven by New Trier’s 2025 loss to the Titans in which GBS bested the Trevs 45-0. The redemption feels “so, so great,” Mason said. 

“We had them circled since we got killed by them last year,” Mason added. “That was so embarrassing. That feeling coming home on the bus, I never wanted anybody else to experience that ever again. I wouldn’t wish that feeling on my worst enemy.” 

Trevs Stay Home

No. 7 New Trier (9-1) will be back in Northfield next week for a Sweet 16 matchup against 8A’s No. 10 Homewood-Flossmoor. 

The Vikings (8-2) handled Conant 35-7 to advance, and the south suburban power has been a fixture in the 8A playoff picture for the better part of a decade. New Trier last faced the Vikings in the playoffs in 2015. 

The Trevs will enjoy the Round 1 win and get back to work Saturday, Doll said. From there, the focus will be on their business. 

“We just need to make sure we take care of ourselves,” he said. “It’s been about us the whole year. Our offense, defense, special teams, really everybody has been showing up at different times. Tonight was a big special-teams play and then the defense really held on for us, so we just have to find ways to win. It’s not always pretty, but we did a great job in different aspects tonight.”

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