Stevenson quarterback Andrew Knight Jr. took a big step in his development in the second half on Friday night.

Trailing 7-0 to host Chippewa Valley at the intermission, Titan coach Justin Newcomb said he told Knight it was time to be the leader the coach knew he could be. Knight responded by leading the Titans to 24 unanswered points after halftime as Stevenson opened MAC Red Division play with a 24-7 win.

“Andrew was somebody I specifically called upon at halftime,” Newcomb said. “I told him it was time for him to put the team on his back and to take the next step. Every big play in the second half he put his name on it.”

On the opening drive of the third quarter, Knight led Stevenson on an 11-play, 80-yard drive that took almost seven minutes off the clock, ending the drive with a 9-yard run up the middle, tying the game at 7-7.

On the ensuing possession, the Big Reds were forced to punt. However, the snap was mishandled by the Big Red punter and he was tackled, giving Stevenson the ball at the Big Red 29.

Eight plays later, Stevenson’s Jaiden Hill-Alston burst in from a yard out, giving the Titans a 14-7 lead with 11:54 left in the game. After another Chippewa Valley punt, Knight connected with wide receiver Ronnie Hill Jr. on the first play for a 64-yard scoring strike, pushing the lead to 21-7.

“Those two work so hard together,” Newcomb said. “They come to the field on Sunday — an off day — and work on their game. We’re seeing a maturation process play out in front of our team. It’s awesome to see and they’re both special.”

The Titans capped the win with a 30-yard field goal by Pawel Surowiec.

“It’s awesome to get the first one in MAC Red play,” Newcomb said. “They’re so tough to get. To get this one on the same field that ended our season last year, it drove us the entire offseason. Our guys had to be ready for the moment.”

Chippewa Valley coach Terry Wilson credited Stevenson’s effort in the second half.

“I think (Stevenson) outplayed us in the second half,” Wilson said. “We made a couple key mistakes that gave up touchdowns and we couldn’t keep our drives sustained.”

Knight finished the game completing 13-of-20 passes for 144 yards. He also rushed for 60 yards on 15 carries. Hill-Alston added 47 yards on 13 rushes, while Hill had six catches for 108 yards.

“We stumbled out of the gate early,” Newcomb said. “It was a slow start. Shout out to Terry Wilson because he had his guys ready to play. But our guys really responded after halftime and to put 24 points on the board in the second half was amazing.

“We didn’t play bad in the first half, but we just had some missed plays and missed assignments. I had to settle everybody down and get back to playing Titan football.”

Chippewa Valley took their 7-0 lead in the second quarter when Jeremiah Brown scored on a 1-yard run.

“I like what I’m seeing. We’re constantly getting better,” Wilson said. “We make mental mistakes at times that cost us, but our goal from day one is to get better and we’ll continue doing that.”

The Big Reds were led offensively by running back Caleb Fowlkes, who finished with 76 yards on 15 carries.

“He’s one of our toughest players,” Wilson said. “He works hard and is one of our vocal leaders. He always likes running the ball.”

The win improved Stevenson’s record to 3-0 overall and 1-0 league. The Titans will host 3-0 Dakota next Friday night.

“We have to work on our penalties,” Newcomb said. “And we have to work on finishing our drives and our mental assignments. Good teams don’t beat themselves and I thought we did that a couple times tonight.”

Chippewa Valley fell to 1-2 overall, 0-1 league. The Big Reds will travel to Romeo for another MAC Red contest next Friday night.

“We have to stay together as a team and not lose our focus,” Wilson said. “We have to work on the fundamentals and the basics. Stuff like that.”