Live Look Week 1: New Trier Trevians

This past Friday night, I went to LaGrange and caught the season opener for New Trier and Lyons Township. A close game from start to finish, one where the Trevians showed that their experience in tight games enabled them to squeak out a 30-23 victory to open the year. Here are the players that stood out for New Trier during their victory. (Check out Lyons Township’s <a href="https://prepredzone.com/2021/08/live-look-week-1-lyons-township/">recap here</a>) <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-193565" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/08/6DEF01EB-3EFE-4572-8C93-530E77C56FF3-225x300.jpeg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> MVP - 2024 RB [player_tooltip player_id="195969" first="Jackson" last="McCarey"] (6’ and 175lbs) @JacksonMcCarey Playing in his first varsity game of his career, McCarey was absolutely impressive as the explosive back of the Trevians two-headed ball carrying rotation. After Lyons scored the first touchdown of the game, McCarey took a handoff and bolted over 80-yards for a long score of his own, finding a hole in the defense and then turning on the jets to outrace the defense. https://twitter.com/mikefchen/status/1431429533492776960?s=21 That wasn’t the only time McCarey found paydirt, his second score he again used his speed and vision to exploit a crease in the defense. https://twitter.com/mikefchen/status/1431446392522911745?s=21 It’s time to put McCarey on your radar going forward, he’s got a great blend of speed and vision, along with a knack with making big plays happen. Others who shined: <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-193564" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/08/F77604FC-5CAB-412C-84EF-62A5CBAF1145-225x300.jpeg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> 2024 Defensive end Ty Stringer (5’11” and 206lbs) Although undersized, Stringer was a menace for Lyons offensive line. He consistently was was in the backfield and made difficult for the Lyon’s offensive line. They had a hard time when he was able to use his speed to get past the slower linemen. https://twitter.com/mikefchen/status/1432459419690885121?s=21 It shouldn’t go unnoticed that Stringer, along with McCarey were among the few underclassmen that played for the Trevians, more on the third one in a bit. Even though he most likely won’t end up as a tackle, getting valuable experience as a sophomore is huge for him. Stringer’s future is at end, but he could be a very good situational pass rusher from the inside. 2022 Linebacker / Running back Jack Cummings (6’2” and 190lbs) The other part of the backfield was Cummings, who also found the endzone twice during the contest. The difference however was that the short yardage back played both sides and was extremely impressive as a linebacker. That’s where I feel like his future is, but he more than held his own toting the ball. Great size along with good instincts allowed Cummings to really make an impact on defense. He’s got some room to continue to add on some good weight along with getting a bit faster. Cummings has lots of potential and should be added to many recruiting boards. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-193562" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/08/30387F22-622A-4DF5-8712-3AF5355FBB79-225x300.jpeg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> 2022 Tight end / defensive end [player_tooltip player_id="147214" first="Finn" last="Cohan"] (6’5” and 230lbs) @finn_cohan Right off the bat, Cohan has a P5 frame, he looks bigger than his listed size and even has some room to add on good weight. Due to his imposing figure, Lyons shifted their defense to no allow him to get open, a safety over the top didn’t give him much room to roam. That didn’t mean Cohan couldn’t have an impact, he just did it on the other side of the ball. The long armed defensive end batted down three passes and disrupted a few more. https://twitter.com/mikefchen/status/1432461673173037064?s=21 He’s got the hands to make a difference of offense, but after seeing what he could do on the edge, I love Cohan’s potential there. He’s a true athlete at the moments and could ultimately be a big time player on either side of the ball. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-193561" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/08/8449E7A7-0315-44B3-AFC8-50E35A0FFAC9-225x300.jpeg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> 2022 Wide receiver Josh Kirkpatrick (6’1” and 180lbs) @Josh_kirky Although Kirkpatrick didn’t manage to find the endzone, his efforts directly resulted in scores for the Trevians. Twice he hauled in deep passes to set up the offense inside the redzone. He’s got a solid frame, a bit slender but there is room to add on good weight when he arrives on a collegiate campus. https://twitter.com/mikefchen/status/1432462523022954499?s=21 The ability to track a ball over his should was very impressive, being able to use his body to create space over his shoulder to make the catch. It was my first time seeing Kirkpatrick and I came away impressed. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-193559" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/08/7416DB15-6E5E-4B67-9E4E-E75DA2EBB25D-225x300.jpeg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> 2022 Quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="20864" first="Nevan" last="Cremascoli"] (6’4” and 210lbs) @nevancremascoli I’ve seen Cremascoli multiple times, but this was the first it was in a real game situation and I came away very impressed. He’s a game manager, took shots when he needed to and never made a big mistake to put the Trevians in a bad position. When Cremascoli did take his shots, he went Kirkpatrick’s way and they made more than a few nice plays. He’s much more athletic than I thought, on a 2-point conversion, he lowered his shoulder and drive his way into the endzone. Cremascoli is a very good quarterback that makes other around him better and will be an asset to the team that ultimately signs him. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-193558" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/08/12309568-4CB3-47C4-8B20-E57E0CF88266-225x300.jpeg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> 2022 Offensive tackle Luc Elias (6’5” and 280lbs) @LucElias5 The senior had a huge task in front of him, as he had to face off multiple times against Lyon’s best defensive lineman [player_tooltip player_id="142544" first="Eddie" last="Tuerk"], and Elias more than held his own. The tackle held the P5 recruit to a quite night by his standards, and most importantly, kept Cremascoli upright all night. Elias has a great frame, long arms and very good footwork. He projects more as a right tackle, but could play on the left side as well. Already holding a few offers, like Valparaiso and Macalester College, more should be on the way for the tackle. 2022 Offensive tackle Jesse Mendoza (6’5” and 265lbs) @JesseMe91520113 When your offensive line doesn’t allow any sacks and gives your quarterback time to find open receivers, you know the linemen are doing a great job and that’s exactly what Mendoza did on Friday night. He’s a top-heavy lineman, with an extremely strong initial punch. Although he also played defensive tackle, Mendoza’s future is as a tackle. Sometimes he gets his feet locked into the ground, but his length and strength at this level allow him to get away with that. That’s a very easy fix and Mendoza should be a viable option for multiple teams at the next level. <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-193556" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/08/FC7C5A34-D22D-4933-9BD6-DE8D802D0F09-225x300.jpeg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> 2025 Punter Niki Dugandzic (6’5” and 180lbs) @niki_dugandzic Normally specialist don’t stand out, but when you unleash a 62-yard punt that lands inside the 1-yard line, it’s bound to get your attention. It got mine, as I immediately looked at the roster to see what year Dugandzic was and he’s one to clearly keep an eye out for. As a place kicker he was pounding 35-yarders with at least 20-yards to spare when warming up after at the half. It wouldn’t surprise me at all to see Dugandzic signing with a P5 program, he was that impressive.