Earl leads Stevenson to upset win

Updated: March 22, 2011 5:30PM

For most of the second half, Kevin Earl and Co. were not clicking.

But the final two minutes was a different story, as the Stevenson quarterback drove his team 80 yards for the winning touchdown in a 24-23 victory over host No. 4 Lake Zurich Friday night.

The Bears (5-1, 2-1) were primed to win this NSC Lake showdown. But Earl completed four of seven passes for 64 yards on the winning drive. His targets were Steve Salata (three catches, 39 yards) and Jaffar Mascoll (one catch, 25 yards).

"It was all or nothing," said Earl, who finished 14 of 25 for 207 yards. "The receivers made great plays and stepped up for me."

After a Salata catch moved the ball to the 4-yard line, Joe Cassata ran for three yards on first down. Following an incomplete pass, Cassata barreled in from 1 yard with six seconds remaining.

"From the huddle coach (Bill McNamara) called my play," said Cassata, who finished with two touchdowns and rushed for 61 yards on 15 carries. "I got into the end zone and it was the best feeling ever,"

The win boosts No. 14 Stevenson to 6-0, 4-0.

The loss overshadowed a big second half by Lake Zurich's J.J. Raffelson. The linebacker made six tackles after intermission, including a sack. On offense, Raffelson caught a 34-yard pass from quarterback Zach Till to advance the ball to the 4-yard line. Till crashed into the end zone from one-yard out to put the Bears ahead 20-17 with 6:59 to play.

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