Maine South beats New Trier in Big Ten-bound quarterback showdown

The most anticipated New Trier vs. Maine South matchup in a decade contained all the ingredients for a special night.

Trevians’ quarterback Jackie Ryder is a Purdue recruit and a late-blooming local star. Jameson Purcell, the Maine South quarterback, has been in the spotlight for three years and is heading to Indiana.

New Trier opened the season with three wins and arrived in the Super 25 just in time for the showdown with the Hawks.

Both quarterbacks played well, and the scoring went back and forth until Keaton Vitel’s 98-yard kickoff return touchdown provided the little extra magic No. 13 Maine South needed to pull away with a 35-28 win against the No. 24 Trevians on Thursday in Northfield.

“We were going crazy,” Purcell said. “That is exactly what we needed. [New Trier] scored and then [Vitel] took it to the house. He really just took the air out of them. It was a crucial play. They had momentum, and we took it right from them.”

Vitel caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from Purcell in the first quarter and was an impact player in the defensive secondary as well.

Ryder scored on a four-yard run to cut Maine South’s lead to 21-14 midway through the third quarter. But the home crowd barely had a chance to celebrate before Vitel scored.

“We knew we had to bring some energy,” Vitel said. “They told me to take it up our sideline. All I was thinking was, I’m going to wait and be patient until I see the hole and then I’m going to hit the hole. I saw the hole, and it was just the kicker, and I broke it, and I knew I wasn’t going to go down.”

New Trier (3-1, 0-1 CSL South) battled back to cut the deficit to 28-21 on a trick-play touchdown pass from Ryder to running back Throy Nightengale Jr. to receiver John Baxter.

Maine South (3-1, 1-0) leaned on its offensive line and tough runs from Payton Donaldson, Matt Schlenhardt and Purcell to eat up the clock and keep the ball out of New Trier’s hands from then on.

Purcell scored on a nifty 12-yard run early in the fourth quarter to put Maine South ahead by two scores and nearly seal the win.

“That was a crucial third down,” Purcell said. “We called a pass and drew it up pretty well, but they covered it well. I just let my instincts take over, shed a tackle and got into the end zone. I’m just proud of my team and our linemen for blocking.”


Purcell was 12 of 14 passing for 180 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He had 14 carries for 88 yards and a score.

“We have a great team and something special,” Purcell said. “We proved it tonight. They had a lot of hype coming into this game. They deserved it. We knew it was going to be a battle.”

Ryder finished 19 of 37 passing for 216 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. The first pick came on a jump ball at the end of the first half, when he was trying to make something happen.

Ryder had four carries for 14 yards and a touchdown.

“I’ve gotten to know [Ryder] a little bit,” Purcell said. “He’s a nice guy, and obviously he is getting some clout and recognition now. He deserves it. He was under-recruited, and he’s playing pretty well. Obviously, it was a fun one against him.”