The entire season came down to one play.
The Stevenson Patriots had the ball in Wildcat territory midway through the fourth quarter. Patriot quarterback Kevin Earl dropped back into the pocket, surveyed the field, and threw a jump-ball pass toward wide receiver Steven Salata. Salata was well-covered by defensive back A.J. Schurr, but right as Schurr went to make a play on the ball, Salata seemed to shove him down to the ground. Salata then proceeded to complete the catch and waltz the rest of the way into the endzone, giving the Patriots what would be the game-winning touchdown.
Schurr, LHS head coach Randy Kuceyeski and seemingly the entire stadium went berserk as the jumbotron, which was donated by Toyota for the night's game, replayed the play over and over, clearly showing that Salata had interfered with Schurr.
"If you see that, you gotta call it," Schurr said. "The ref at the back of the endzone said it wasn't his call."
Kuceyeski was so enraged with the call that he threw his hat in the direction of one of the officials and then proceeded to follow one of the referees up the sideline to reiterate his concern about the play. He was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct, but the damage had already been done.
"It's unfortunate because when two teams are playing that hard you have a no-call made that cost a team," Kuceyeski said. "What are you gonna do? It's a judgement call."
The play capped Stevenson's rally after being down 21 points midway through the second quarter, and led to a staunch reversal of fortunes for the Wildcats.
The Cats, who were wearing pink jerseys to raise awareness for breast cancer, came out roaring, scoring 21 points to start the game, sending Stevenson reeling. But a little over a minute after Libertyville's third touchdown, Stevenson responded. Big time.
Patriot running back Joseph Cassata broke the scoring drought by driving through the Wildcat defense for a 23-yard rushing touchdown. Cassata would score two more times before the end of the quarter to tie the game at 21. He would also add another touchdown by the time the game ended.
From the controversial call onwards, the Wildcats seemed to lose all momentum and confidence, as they did not score again. The final score was 35-21.
The loss, which put the Wildcats at 3-5 on the season, eliminated them from playoff contention and gave Stevenson, who was ranked 2nd in state by the AP (and is also undefeated), the North Suburban Conference Lake Division title. This is the second consecutive year that the Wildcats have missed the playoffs.
Up next for the Wildcats is their last game of the season against Warren this Friday in Gurnee at 7:30 p.m.
"It is about pride and winning one for our seniors," Kuceyeski said.
photo by M. Kalish