Kits Can't Score In CSL South Opener

If you’re a fan of Evanston’s football program and you’re wondering if the offense is ever going to catch up to the defense, you’ve got something in common with the head coach.

Miles Osei is wondering the same thing.

At the halfway point of the 2025 season, the Wildkits couldn’t mount any kind of a threat to defending Central Suburban League South division champion Maine South and lost their league opener 33-0 Friday night. Now 1-4 overall, the Kits have dropped four consecutive games and have scored just four touchdowns on offense in that stretch.

Osei tried everything Friday night in Park Ridge to add juice to the attack. He utilized two different players at the Wildcat quarterback spot --- to no avail --- and rotated junior Amare Jones and sophomore T.J. Gant at QB as they combined to commit four turnovers in the first half.

Overall, Jones and Gant were a combined 6-of-22 passing with two interceptions and a mere 37 yards through the air. The duo was no match for Maine South lefty Jameson Purcell, who completed 24-of-42 attempts for 257 yards and three scores. Purcell, an Indiana University recruit, would have had a fourth TD pass to his credit except that one of his receivers fumbled the ball in the end zone and a teammate recovered for the actual score.

The lack of execution on offense is certainly a source of frustration for the first-year ETHS coach at this point.

“We didn’t have any turnovers in the second half tonight, but that’s not progress,” Osei said. “Our defense continues to carry us. They continue to put us in great positions. They’re taking steps.

“At some point on offense we need to show some courage, and do the simple things correctly. We need to be able to execute in adverse situations, but right now, we don’t seem to know our own basic concepts. We need to take ownership (on offense) and show some accountability. We have players who are satisfied and there has to be more of a hunger to change things.”

Evanston’s offensive futility wasn’t reflected in the performance of junior Sean Hopson, who carried 21 times for 96 yards Friday and is off to one of the best starts to a season by an Evanston running back in more than a decade. He is averaging 100 yards per game to date in his first varsity season, although he’s only managed to score one rushing TD so far.

Hopson could be a game-changer if the Wildkits can solve their turnover issue in time for the rest of the CSL South schedule. Evanston hosts Glenbrook South next Friday night at Lazier Field.

“Sean Hopson has put in the work all season, all summer, and all of the off-season to get to where he is now. He’s a surprise to some people, but he’s not a surprise to me,” Osei praised. “Not when you learn stuff and put in the effort like he as.

“We set high expectations for Sean before the season and he didn’t back down. Instead, he rose to the challenge. He’s hungry (after being sidelined with an injury for part of his sophomore season and if that hunger could permeate the rest of this team, that would be huge for us.”

Evanston’s defense was solid most of the night, but the visitors did surrender touchdowns on back-to-back fourth down plays to account for Maine South’s first two scores. Purcell connected with Logan Ide on a slant pass for a 24-yard score on fourth and 3 on the Hawks’ first possession, and capitalized on an interception thrown by Jones to complete a short (four yards) scoring drive with a 1-yard TD run himself.

A pass interference penalty just before halftime set up another South tally. This time Purcell found Jake Davis for a 22-yard completion, right to the goal line, and when he coughed the ball up on a fumble, Ide was on the spot to recover the loose ball for another six points.

Justin Johnson and Jerry Success each stole a pass thrown by Purcell, however, and the Maine South quarterback was consistently denied when he took deep shots against the ETHS secondary.

South’s other scores came on 38-yard pass from Purcell to Finn Haugh in the third quarter and an 8-yard hookup from Purcell to Haugh in the fourth quarter.

South improved to 4-1 on the season following an opening week loss to Lincoln-Way East.