Goro, Maine South rout Stevenson

‘‘Explosive’’ is the best word to describe the offensive show quarterback Charlie Goro and No. 1 Maine South put on display against Stevenson in a Class 8A playoff opener Saturday.

Goro was 18-for-25 for 377 yards and six touchdowns, and the Hawks scored 56 consecutive points to erase an early deficit and post a 63-29 victory in Park Ridge.

‘‘When we were down, we knew we just had to stay poised and confident in ourselves,’’ Goro said. ‘‘We executed well, and we had a lot of players step up.’’

Maine South (10-0) had to step up because it trailed 22-14 after the first quarter. Stevenson (5-5) took an 8-0 lead when Mark Weisman scored on an 87-yard run on the Patriots’ first offensive play. That was followed by a two-point conversion.

Stevenson’s Bradford Backer followed by recovering an onside kick, and Zach Wujcik connected with Michael Bilton on a 36-yard touchdown pass five plays later to make it 15-0.

The Hawks answered with a five-yard touchdown run by Matt Perez, but Bilton returned the ensuing kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown to make it 22-7.

After that, it was all Maine South. Goro hit Sam Chwarzynski with a 42-yard touchdown pass to close the first-quarter scoring and begin the Hawks’ rout.

Goro connected with John Alviti (six catches, 173 yards) on a 32-yard touchdown pass with 2:24 left in the first half to give Maine South its first lead and on a 79-yarder with 9:51 left to set off a running clock. Goro also hit Chwarzynski with a 52-yard screen pass for a touchdown just before the half.

Not to be outdone, Perez ran for 89 yards on 12 carries and accounted for four touchdowns, including a 46-yard punt return and a 14-yard reception.

‘‘We knew [the Patriots] come out fast and get a lead early, but we just had to play a full 48 minutes and take care of business,’’ Perez said.

Weisman (13 carries, 181 yards) capped the scoring with a 74-yard touchdown run for the Patriots with 8:54 left in the game.

‘‘We’ve had leads the whole year (and) we knew we had to keep the lead going,’’ Weisman said. ‘‘We just fell a little short. Give them credit, they’re a great team.’’