New Trier football will advance to the second round of the 8A state playoffs with a 30-3 win over Lyons Township on Friday, Oct. 30.

Both the Trevians offense and defense had strong games. The defense held Lyons’ sophomore quarterback Ben Bryant to only 47 yards on 4-for-12 passing. The defense was led by junior defensive lineman Jake Lowell, who recorded two sacks in the game. Other defensive standouts included defensive backs Christian Miller (senior), Francis Fay and Eric Nicholas (juniors).

Offensively, the Trevians were outstanding. They were led by junior quarterback Clay Czyzynski, who went 17-for-21 for 187 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed the ball 20 times for 145 yards.

“The line and our fullback were giving the running backs and myself big holes to run through. My receivers also did a great job getting open and running precise routes,” Czyzynski said.

This is Czyzynski’s second year as the starting quarterback for New Trier. Last year, he led the Trevians to two playoff wins over Glenbrook South and Curie.

“Knowing what the playoffs feel like is really nice. I am definitely a lot more calm this year compared to last year,” Czyzynski said.

Miller caught both of Czyzynski’s touchdown passes, while senior Colin Casas had five receptions for 81 yards.

“Clay and I did a good job of finding the holes in the defense,” said Miller. “I was able to get behind the defense a couple times and he did a great job of finding me and getting me the ball. We have a lot of trust in each other, and that comes from a lot of practice.”

Special teams also played a crucial role in the victory. Senior kicker Nick Endre made all three of his field goal attempts, as well as three extra points.

The Trevians were favored to win this game, but they likely won’t be as they will play 9-1 Homewood Flossmoor on Friday,Nov. 6. Homewood Flossmoor was state runner up last year, losing 31-25 to Stevenson in the championship. Their only loss this year was by one point to Bolingbrook, and all of their wins have been blowouts. They defeated O’Fallon 55-17 in the opening round this year on Friday, Oct. 30.

“They’re a very good team and they have a lot of athletes over there. It’s going to be important for everybody to do their job in order to keep their playmakers in check. We have to play together for four quarters,” said Miller.

Despite the big challenge the Trevians face this week, they don’t seem to be intimidated at all.

“We need to focus on us and stick to our gameplan,” Czyzynski said. “In the end we have to just do our job out there.”

When asked if they had any advantages over Flossmoor, Miller was quick to point out special teams.

“We have the best special teams’ coordinator in the state. We can make a big play in that facet of the game. I also think we are a more disciplined team than they are. We can take advantage of their mistakes and turn them into big plays in our favor,” Miller said.

New Trier has had a very successful year up to this point. They are 9-1 and have won their last four games. Their only loss was a 24-21 defeat at the hands of Maine South. In the games the Trevians have won, they won by an average of 20.8 points per game.