After eye-opening loss to Morris, Sycamore defense leads Spartans’ charge into 5A semis

The Sycamore sideline celebrates as the defense stops St. Patrick on a fourth down play sealing the win for the Spartans in their IHSA Class 5A state quarterfinal game Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021, at Sycamore High School.

SYCAMORE – According to linebacker Dom Bills, Sycamore’s 28-21 loss at Morris in the regular-season finale was a wake-up call for the Spartans.

The team had been working to develop trust all year, and the loss showed what would happen if the team continued to fall prey to in-fighting.

“After our tough loss to Morris, we kind of saw each other pointing fingers,” Bills said. “It kind of opened our eyes that that would be the outcome if we don’t play as a team. Through practice and our first playoff game we got it fixed. And we like the outcome we had when we’re playing together, so we’ll continue to play that way.”

Since that loss, the No. 9 Spartans have allowed just 21 points – seven by the starters – and have shutouts in two straight games as they prepare to face No. 2 Fenwick at 1 p.m. Saturday at Triton College in a Class 5A semifinal.

The winner will head to Huskie Stadium for the state title game at 10 a.m. Nov. 27 in DeKalb.

Both the players and Spartans coach Joe Ryan have talked all year about building trust and playing as a team on defense.

“That’s the reality of it all. They said if we continue to play like we are, then the season is over,” Ryan said. “And they didn’t want the season to end. So they did a really good job of coming together and getting things right and playing as a unit.”

Bills pointed to a play late in the fourth quarter Saturday against St. Patrick, when a bad snap on a punt set the Shamrocks up on the Sycamore 14, down 14-0 with about 2 minutes left.

A quick score would have made it a game, but instead Dawson Alexander picked up a sack on third-and-4 and the defense held on fourth down, setting up a series of kneel downs for the win.

“In situations where the offense has a turnover or anything happens in the game where our backs were against the wall, it seems we reacted a lot better,” Ryan said. “The punt issues, when we were at the 10-, 15-yard line and we made the stop, I don’t know if three weeks ago if we were in the same situation if it would have worked. But now it does because we play as a team.”

Ryan also had said third-down conversions were a trouble spot for the Spartans, and on Saturday the defense let St. Patrick quarterback Jermaine Youing loose to pick up a big third down in the third quarter.

But a sack by Ethan Bode changed the momentum of the drive and the defense held again.

“Those things were snowballing against us (earlier in the season),” Ryan said. “Those things made things even worse because they went out, ‘Woe is me,’ instead of ‘Let’s get stops.’ Things happen in football games that don’t always go your way. It’s the teams that have the maturity and can make stops when they don’t go your way are the teams that are the most successful.”

Nose guard Tommy Rosenow said it’s noticeable how much better the team is playing since the Morris game and how much the defense has grown.

“If you have a bad play, we used to hunker down and feel bad for ourselves,” Rosenow said. “Now if the bad play happens, we just rally around each other.”