The Naperville North High School varsity football team lost against Neuqua Valley High School on Friday, Sept. 15.
The Huskies (2-2) lost to the Wildcats (2-2) by a score of 17-7.
In the first half, both teams started off slow with turnovers and penalties committed from both sides. The defensive line, led by sophomore Gabriel Hill and senior Lawson Grier, forced several quick stops. The offensive line, which had previously held steady against Homewood-Flossmoor and Bolingbrook, failed to utilize the opportunities that the Huskie defense provided. The lack of protection did not give quarterback Jacob Bell enough time to get the offense going smoothly. By the end of the half, the score was 3-0, Neuqua Valley. The bright spot of the Huskie offense was senior wide receiver and free safety Luke Williams, who had several nice plays, including an interception. Williams recounts how he tried to impact the team’s energy throughout the game.
“You know I’m just doing my job, staying responsible, making sure that my teammates know their responsibilities, and controlling what I can control,” Williams said.
Coming into the third quarter, both offenses improved. Bell, with the help of senior running back Cole Arl and Williams, led the Huskie offense to their only touchdown of the night before Bell left the game with an injury with a potential concussion. Luke Williams and senior cornerback William Korosec both intercepted the Wildcat quarterback. However, the turnovers could not stop the Wildcat offense, with the final score of 17-7 Neuqua Valley. William Korosec reflects on his interception and how the game finished.
“I was able to make a play on it but our offense couldn’t capitalize on our turnovers,” Korosec said.
Friday night marked the first conference matchup for the Huskies. With this victory, Naperville Central now leads the division with an overall record of (3-1) and a conference record of (1-0). The Huskies will face their next Dupage Valley Conference (DVC) opponent next week at DeKalb. Head Coach Sean Drendel goes into how the team hopes to comeback from this loss.
“You have to bounce back. I mean, that’s football. You play every week and sometimes you do poorly, but you have got to bounce back,” Drendel said.
The Huskies play their next game on Friday, Sept. 22 against DeKalb High School. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 P.M at DeKalb High School.
