The Naperville North Huskie football team played in their final game of the regular season on Friday. Looking to enter the playoffs on a high note, the Huskies executed their gameplan, playing with intensity and determination on both sides of the ball. The Huskies returned to their winning ways, righting the ship in the season finale.

The Huskies (6-3, 5-3) defeated the Wheaton Warrenville South Tigers (2-7, 1-7) by a final score of 28-21.

After giving up 42 points last week, the defense of the Huskies looked to be on a similar path throughout the first half against the Tigers. The Huskies jumped out to an early lead midway through the first quarter on a 7-yard TD scamper, but the Tigers responded quickly with a couple of TD’s through the air from QB Zach Harris to WR Jacob Odom. This dynamic duo connected for the third time with 15 seconds remaining in the first half to give the Tigers a 21-14 halftime lead.

The defense flipped the script in the second half, keeping the Tigers off the scoreboard entirely. Immediately after WR Cliff Vickers found WR Nick Calcagno for a 20-yard TD on a trick play to tie the game midway through the third quarter, DB Jared Saad picked off Zach Harris, permanently swinging the momentum in favor of the Huskies.

Looking to break the tie late in the fourth quarter, the Huskies marched down the field, firing on all cylinders. With 3:20 remaining in the game, OL Nick Vogel opened up a gaping hole for RB Brett Zdrubecky who punched it in from a yard out to give the Huskies their first lead since the opening quarter.

“Brett can do everything,” Vogel said. “We have a lot of weapons on offense.”

Needing a first down to clinch the game, QB Drake Davis sprinted 94 yards down the sideline, thrusting the dagger in the hearts of the Tigers. This was the final chapter of the historic rivalry between these two teams as the Tigers will leave the Dupage Valley Conference this offseason.

“This rivalry has been great,” Davis said. “Tonight was a great way to send them out.”

After a total of four victories from 2014-2015, the Huskies turned the tables last year by winning a total of eight games. The string of success continued this season as the Huskies repeated as champions of the Crosstown Classic as well as completing one of the largest comebacks in IHSA history en route to a second consecutive playoff berth. Despite losing in the first round of the playoffs a year ago, the immense positivity of Head Coach Sean Drendel is in full force

“We are not done yet,” Drendel said. “We will keep the [football] family together for five more weeks.”