If there is any good to come of opening the season with a loss, it is that the Naperville North varsity football team showcased their determination. Last Friday, Aug. 28, the Huskies were defeated by the Carl Sandburg Eagles with a score of 28-21.

After the first half, littered with sloppy play and three turnovers, the Huskies gained some much-needed confidence going into halftime. Down 14-0 with 20 seconds left in the second quarter, junior quarterback Dylan Fadden rallied the troops. His pass connected with senior E.J. Vaughn on fourth down and nine yards, getting NNHS on the board to make the score a more manageable 14-7.

Senior captain Chris Hall echoed the issues that plagued the Huskies in the first half.

“Obviously when you turn the ball over 3 times, the odds are gonna be stacked against you,” Hall said.

The Huskies built on that confidence to start the third quarter, and it took them only 75 seconds to knot the score at 14. Senior Jaylen Lockhart took a handoff 51 yards for the touchdown, igniting the hopes of a comeback.

Rallying was the name of the game for NNHS, as they would have to work from behind once again after Sandburg scored an early fourth quarter touchdown. With six and a half minutes to go in the game, junior running back Matt Montgomery took a hand-off up the middle from 20 yards out, broke a few tackles, and jogged into the end zone for the touchdown. After a flawless extra point from junior Matt Malan, the score was once again tied–this time at 21.  

The Sandburg offense was relentless all night, and the dagger was delivered when Sandburg’s quarterback threw a strike for a touchdown with four minutes left. Unfortunately, NNHS was unable to recover this time, and the Eagles ran out the clock to earn their first win of the season.

Captain Tom Rizzi said he was disappointed with the loss, but saw this as a chance to get better as a team going forward.

“I thought we played fine, but as a team we have to try to limit the big plays on defense,” Rizzi said. “We also have to capitalize on certain scoring situations.”

Next Friday, Sept. 4, the Huskies will travel to Metea Valley to take on their new conference foes.