Jonas Williams and Lincoln-Way East overwhelm Stevenson – Shaw Local

FRANKFURT – Considering the multitude of things Stevenson was going to have to do defensively to stay in Friday night’s Class 8A quarterfinal against Lincoln-Way East, it’s understandable that what ultimately did them was something they didn’t probably hadn’t planned.

Lincoln-Way East’s rocket-arm quarterback Jonas Williams didn’t get extensive training with his arm during the Griffins’ 45-0 victory. Instead, he decided to show off his wheels, throwing for three touchdowns, including a ridiculous 84-yard run that made it clear that Williams had a lot of tricks up his sleeve.

Lincoln-Way East will face the winner of Saturday’s quarterfinal between Loyola (9-2) and Maine South (8-3) in next weekend’s semifinal. This is Lincoln-Way East’s third straight appearance in the semifinals and sixth in its last seven postseasons.

Lincoln-Way East has lost to Loyola in each of the last two Class 8A state championship games, but the Griffins beat Maine South 49-22 in week one.

Williams, an Oregon commit, opened the scoring in the contest as he saw an open field and ran 11 yards to put Lincoln-Way East (12-0) on the board. Williams isn’t looking for racing opportunities, but he’s more than happy to take them as they develop.

And some big problems developed for Williams shortly after her first score. Late in the first quarter, he beat Stevenson’s defense to the sideline and simply outran it for a 60-yard score. Then, after Brody Gish extended the Lincoln-Way advantage to 21-0, Williams ended the true madness of the evening when a passing play broke down, Williams was ejected from the pocket, saw that his options were limited and took off. He reversed the field, fended off several tacklers and ran an 84-yard score, his third of the night.

“We knew they were going to show a little man,” Williams said. “And when the play ended, no one was supporting me, so I just did what I had to do.

“And honestly, if you watch the film, my receivers were giving me great blocks. If they weren’t blocking me, I wouldn’t have marked them.

Lincoln-Way East coach Rob Zvonar quickly said the Griffins didn’t design runs for Williams because they preferred him to have as little contact as possible. However, the plays that emerged in this game simply involved Williams being Williams.

“No, we don’t want him to run the ball,” Zvonar said. “The only good thing that happens when he starts running is when I see him sliding right away. He’s too precious with his arm, so these things are his alone. But obviously he is very competent.

“We don’t have a course designed for him because we just want to keep him healthy and not take any risks. But obviously he can extend plays and he’s done that all year.

Lincoln-Way East scored a field goal just before halftime to enter the break with a 31-0 lead, and Williams ended what was easily the longest drought of her Lincoln-Way East career by throwing a touchdown pass to Talan White midway. the third trimester.

And probably for the first time in his high school career, Williams finished with more rushing yards (149) than passing yards (148).

“Honestly, running touchdowns are a little more fun,” Williams said. “You start to hear the crowd when you break free. But they’re both fun. Touchdowns are fun.

Zion Gist (15 carries, 102 yards) started the clock early in the fourth quarter.

Stevenson, which finished 10-2, struggled to get out of neutral offensively. Its first three possessions were all three-and-outs, and the Patriots didn’t get a first down until midway through the second quarter.

Stevenson’s only offensive drive that seriously threatened points came when Aiden Crawley hit Thomas Simmons for consecutive big passes of 35 and 41 yards to reach the Lincoln-Way East 4-yard line. But the Patriots went backwards from there and ended up turning the ball over on downs.

Lincoln-Way East’s defensive front limited Stevenson’s rushing attack to 12 yards, which was a major contributor to the Patriots’ inability to sustain big-time drives throughout the game.

In the end, all Stevenson coach Brent Becker could do was tip his cap.

“These guys are really good,” Becker said. “They’re the No. 1 team in the state for a reason. They are really talented. They work very hard, the coaching staff is outstanding and they have a lot of playoff experience. And I wish them the best. I hope they win everything.