After a heartbreaking loss against Naperville Central, the Huskies came back stronger than ever this week in a nail-biting win against Lincoln-Way Central.
The Huskies (2-1) won in overtime against the Knights (1-2) by a close score of 21-20.
The first half was a slow start for the Huskies, with the main focus on defense. Although the Knights tried to throw off their defense, the Huskies were able to have multiple big tackles and blocked passes, including a blocked field goal. Yet, in the second quarter, the Huskies played even better by making more incomplete passes and tackles, causing the Knights to have multiple turnovers on downs. The defense pulled through to secure a zero scoring half for the Knights. Senior quarterback Jacob Bell (2) gave his thoughts on the Huskies’ first half offense.
“In the first half, Lincoln-Way Central gave us their best look, so we had to come back strong and execute when we needed to. We hope to start off a little faster next time, but we picked it up in the second half when it mattered,” Bell said.
After a slow first half, Bell almost immediately scored a touchdown for the Huskies at 8:57 of the third quarter, making the score 7-0. The Huskies continued to play strong offense for the rest of the quarter, with a fantastic play from Braylon Baines (24) to have the Knights start at the 1-yard line. In the fourth quarter, the Knights were able to secure two touchdowns, making the score 14-7, leading to stress for the Huskies to come back. However, the Huskies pulled through yet again, with Bell making an impressive 30 yard pass to senior wide receiver Quinn Morris (85) to tie the game. After the teams went into overtime, the Huskies tried their best to tackle and push back the Knight offense, yet the Knights still obtained the touchdown. However, their kicker choked, resulting in a score of 14-20, leaving Naperville North with the perfect opportunity to win the game. The Knights gave the Huskies their best defense, leading to Bell and the offense being on 4th down 16 yards away from getting the necessary touchdown to win the game. Miraculously, Morris pulled through to get a game winning touchdown, and senior kicker Tyler Duewel (29) succeeded in getting the extra point, leading the Huskies to victory. Head Coach Sean Drendel commented on what changed for the Huskies coming into the second half.
“We finally got some energy, we got moving a little bit and we made good plays at the end that only good players make,” Drendel said.
This game meant more to the team as it boosted morale after the devastating loss against Central and also prepared them for their tough game next week.
“It’s a big win for my team because it shows we did well under pressure and came back from a tough loss,” Morris said.
Next week, the Huskies will play the currently ranked 3rd team in the state, Lincoln-Way East, for their homecoming game. Senior running back Zach Mally (20) discussed the team’s mindset going into their next game.
“I think we got them. We’re going to go out there and show them something,” Mally said.
The Huskies will play Lincoln-Way East at home on Sep. 20 at home. Kickoff will be at 7 p.m.
