The Naperville North High School varsity football team was defeated by Glenbard North High School in their first home game of the season on Friday.

The Panthers (2-0) narrowly beat the Huskies (1-1) by a final score of 36-31.

The Huskies were off to a slow start offensively, only scoring 3 points in the first half. By the end of the second quarter, the Panthers had seized their opportunity to pounce, going into the third quarter with a seven-point lead. Head Coach Sean Drendel believes the team needs to concentrate on making plays in the beginning of the game to secure their future wins.

“We just have to be on more of an offensive rhythm at the beginning of the game,” Drendel said.  

After an uneventful first half, the Huskies came out strong in the third quarter, putting up 28 points while holding the Panthers to just 14. Luke Williams, a sophomore for the Huskies, dominated on both sides of the ball as he scored a pick-six and received a touchdown pass late in the third quarter to give the Huskies the lead, 31-24. Williams hopes to continue his dominant playstyle on the road next week as the team heads to Michigan.

“[The] offense needs to do their job and capitalize off the defense. That’s definitely going to be an exciting experience going into a new environment, playing in a new state,” Williams said.

Despite their thunderous third quarter performance, the Huskies struggled to find their footing in the fourth quarter and made multiple crucial mistakes that cost them the game. As the Huskies attempted to regain the lead in the final minutes, Glenbard North took advantage of a fumbled ball and sealed the game shortly thereafter. Senior Ethan Robert feels the team can rally together and prevent unnecessary turnovers in the future.

“This was a tough loss, we should have won this one,” Robert said. “We have to shore everything up, perfect our game and get right back out there.”

The Huskies will travel to Michigan on September 10 to take on the Woodhaven High School Warriors.