Trevian Boys Roundup: Loss Shows Upturn on Gridiron

Football: coach Dan Starkey says there are no moral victories for his team. But it doesn’t mean that losses can’t be useful.

“We did not put a full game together this past Friday against Maine South, but we had a fantastic first half and were really playing well in all three phases of the game,” Starkey said. “We know what we’re capable of and we can be a very good football team.”

The emotions New Trier felt coming off the field after its 40-24 loss in Week 5 to Maine South----were completely different than its season-opening loss to Schaumburg, when the Trevians looked lost offensively and unsure of itself.

A lot of that has to do with the more consistent play of quarterback Jack Nykaza. After a handful of turnovers against Schaumburg and Warren, Nykaza hasn’t thrown an interception in his last three games.

“He’s done a good job; he’s really improved,” Starkey said of his senior quarterback. “We really have pushed him to improve, to  get better at reading defenses and he’s a real threat as a runner and a passer now.”

In only his second season, Starkey and his coaching staff are still adjusting to running New Trier’s program. But there doesn’t seem to be much of a sophomore slump. After barely sneaking into the Class 8A playoffs last year at 5-4, New Trier looks poised for a deep postseason run.

Even with the Maine South game already passed, New Trier’s schedule isn’t filled with easy opponents. The Trevians--ranked No. 3 by Patch--get Glenbrook South this Friday and Evanston and Waukegan aren’t pushovers by any means. Yet Starkey is happy with what he’s seen as his team is 3-2 overall so far this season.

“We found out in the first five games quite a bit about ourselves and I think we’ve gotten better each week,” Starkey said. “We know that if we can play [like the first half against Maine South] we can play with anybody.”

Cross Country: Paced by senior Leland Later’s individual victory at the Palatine Invitational last Saturday, New Trier finished in fifth place (179 points) only one point behind Niles North (178), which took fourth. No. 1 ranked Palatine (110), Rock Bridge (126) and York (136) were the top three.

Later finished the three-mile course in 14 minutes, 34.4 seconds to top a very competitive field and fell just 1 second shy of the meet record. New Trier’s other finishers included Chip Schaff (22nd, 15:19), Ethan Kaplan (31st, 15:26.3), Dom Gattuso (55th, 15:44.6) and Eric Underwood (74th, 15:53.7)

SCOREBOARD                                                  

Soccer:

Sept. 22 - Glenbrook South 5, New Trier 1