Super 25 countdown: Stevenson

Updated: August 12, 2011 4:18PM

You look at some of the players Stevenson graduated, guys like quarterback Kevin Earl and middle linebacker Brion Wood, and you wonder how good the Patriots can be this fall.

Earl, the son of former Bear Robin Earl, passed for more than 3,300 yards as a two-year starter, and Wood had 130 tackles before heading off to play Ivy League football at Penn. “We lost some good football players last year, kids who were leaders,” Stevenson coach Bill McNamara said.

But then, that’s usually how it goes for the Patriots. They say goodbye to some talented players and someone else steps in to fill their shoes. Stevenson – ranked 14th in the Sun-Times preseason Super 25 – won its first 11 games last season before falling 20-9 to eventual champ Maine South in the Class 8A quarterfinals. It was the 22nd straight playoff appearance for the Patriots and their longest postseason run since their last trip to the quarterfinals in 2005.

The expectation in Lincolnshire is to continue that tradition of excellence. Senior defensive back Carl Miller, back for his third season as a varsity starter, likes what he’s seen so far.

“We were kind of piecing things together over summer camp in June,” Miller said. “We got everyone meshed together. Once Wednesday (the first day of practice) came around, everybody was on the same page.”

Earl’s replacement will be his backup last season, senior Matt Micucci, who also is a returning Sun-Times All-Area kicker. “He’s a very good quarterback,” McNamara said. “He’s going to manage the game for us.”

“Matt’s looking great,” Miller said. “We’re not missing a beat there ... at all.”

Micucci’s potential will allow the Patriots to have the same kind of diversified attack they had when Earl ran the show. “We’ve always been kind of a running team in the past,” Miller said. “We threw a little more passing in (recently). I expect to see a little of that this year.”

But with returning backs Anthony Bozin, Nate Kahn and Kevin Foley, the Patriots are hardly going to abandon their ground game.

“I think we’re going to be pretty balanced,” McNamara said. “We’ll take what the defense gives us.”

Sometimes that will be running behind a line anchored by veterans Jake Hurcombe and Dan Laner and sometimes it’ll be Micucci throwing to the likes of returning receiver Troy Radtke.

There’s experience back on defense as well. Dominick Bickus moves from outside linebacker to Wood’s old spot in the middle. Others back include Mike Kuhn, Quentin Lorenzo and Colin Wetzel on the line, along with Jon Way and Miller in the secondary.

And, of course, Micucci is back to lead Stevenson’s special teams after going 50-for-50 on extra points and kicking six field goals last season.

“Probably one of the differences between this year and last year, last year we had more high profile players,” McNamara said. “This year we’re just a solid football team.”

Nothing new about that as far as the Patriots are concerned.

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