Defensive Intensity Helps Kits End 6-Game Losing Skid

Evanston’s struggles on offense have dominated the headlines for most of the 2025 high school football season.

But the Wildkit defense hasn’t let up during a six-game losing skid that finally ended Friday night in Deerfield.

Playing with the ferocity of a team headed for the Illinois High School Association state playoffs --- instead of one just trying to avoid a last place finish in the Central Suburban League South division --- the Kits throttled Deerfield 31-0 and scored their first victory since Week 1.

Linebacker Mike Pryor returned a fumble 34 yards for a touchdown and also ran 3 yards for a TD out of the Wildcat formation as ETHS improved to 2-6 overall and 1-3 in CSL South play. Evanston hosts Glenbrook North in the season finale next Friday.

Deerfield, which suited up only 25 players for the contest and lost starting quarterback Evan Yoblon to an injury when he coughed up that fumble to Pryor in the first quarter, fell to 1-7 overall. The hosts only mustered 83 yards of total offense and, of their 38 rushing attempts, 10 went for negative yardage.

It wasn’t the Warriors’ night.

“I really felt like our defense set the tone in that first quarter,” said Evanston head coach Miles Osei. “They’ve set the tone for us all year, and we’re not going to change our expectations no matter who we’re playing, or what our record is.

“We got the win, and that’s what counts, because our kids haven’t experienced this since Week 1. This win helps --- but it doesn’t solve all the issues. If you’re happy that you won, and you didn’t get better, then that’s an issue in itself.”

“We have a rough, cut-throat mentality on defense. Regardless of who we’re playing, we want to get the job done,” Pryor explained. “Tonight was pretty much fun, a pretty smooth night. But we still have a lot to clean up. I think Coach Osei has a good feeling now for what will work here and I think they’ll have a good team next year. I think they’ll do a better job of taking it one game at a time, because this year we’ve been more worried about the teams we’re playing in the future (with a loaded schedule that might include 7 foes reaching the state playoffs). I think that’s been in our heads this year, sometimes in a good way, sometimes in a bad way.”

Evanston had to overcome three lost fumbles in the first half --- including one each by quarterbacks Jake Everds and T.J. Gant on shotgun snaps --- to build a 28-0 lead by halftime. And the offense didn’t do much damage in the second half, with Jasper Barney connecting on a 41-yard field goal for the only points for the winners.

Those struggles at the quarterback spot might even influence Osei’s play-calling next week. The first-year ETHS coach hasn’t experienced a lot of success with the Wildcat formation, with either Pryor or Justin Johnson taking direct snaps instead of the QBs, but Pryor’s short score came after he burst 46 yards two plays prior to that.

And between them, Johnson and Pryor have a combined one fumble taking offensive snaps. None of the quarterback candidates can match that.

On the other hand, Osei knows that resorting to the Wildcat as a more regular feature of the offense would make things easier for the Glenbrook North defense in the season finale.

“We’re pretty one dimensional when we do that. And they guys we have running it are both two-way players (Johnson starts at cornerback) and we don’t want to beat them up (physically) too much,” the coach pointed out. “Still, just like all season for us, everything is still on the table. Every week we practice it a little bit more, and at the end of the day, we’re trying to win on Friday nights. We’ll do whatever it takes to put us in the best position to win.”

Pryor wouldn’t mind taking more snaps on offense.

“I’m still really a running back when I’m back there, but it’s like I get to command the offense,” he said. “We have some talented players on offense and they’ll get it done if our intensity and focus just picks up. They get it done --- eventually --- in practice and they just need to fit into the system a little better.”

Everds rushed for an 11-yard touchdown on Evanston’s fourth offensive play of the game, and then Pryor turned in the game-changing play on defense --- with a little help from his friends, Towan Jackson and Logan Fields.

Jackson whacked the Deerfield quarterback hard just as he tried to deliver a pitchout, and after Fields and Pryor fought briefly between them for possession of the mid-air fumble, it was Pryor who grabbed the loose ball and raced to paydirt.

“I was chasing both the quarterback and the running back on that option, and after T.J. smacked their quarterback, both Logan and I grabbed it. But Logan didn’t want to be selfish so he let it go to me,” Pryor grinned.

Evanston added a 1-play scoring drive following the subsequent Deerfield punt as Sean Hopson (13 carries for 90 yards) dashed 43 yards over right tackle on his way to the end zone.

Back-to-back lost fumbles forced an exasperated Osei to turn to the Wildcat midway through the second period, and Pryor covered all 45 yards in 3 plays after Deerfield turned the ball over on downs.