In a hard-fought game which displayed persistence by the Huskies, the Naperville North varsity football team lost to Lincoln-Way East.
The Huskies (2-2) were defeated by the Griffins (4-0) by a score of 49-17.
The Huskies started the night on defense, and they knew the massive challenge facing them. Jonas Williams, Lincoln-Way East’s quarterback, is currently ranked as the 8th best quarterback in the class of 2026 nationally by 247 Sports. Williams and the Griffin offense showed their strength on their first possession, methodically making their way down the field before they scored the first touchdown of the game with 8:46 left in the first quarter. However, the Huskie offense responded quickly. Impressive plays by senior wide receivers Chico Thomas (82) and Brock Pettaway (11) allowed the Huskies to tie the game up at 7-7 with 5:58 left in the quarter. Senior QB Jacob Bell (2) completed the touchdown to Pettaway. The rest of the first quarter didn’t go as smoothly for the Huskies. Two quick touchdowns by the Griffins made the score 21-7 going into the second quarter. Coming into the new quarter, the Huskies showed resilience. Not many high school teams are built to overcome multi-touchdown leads, but the Huskies continued to muscle through. A monster catch for a touchdown by senior WR Nick Manzardo (1) and an interception by senior defensive back Zach Mally (20) put the Huskies in a better position. The touchdown by Manzardo, combined with a field goal by senior kicker Tyler Duewel (29), made the score 21-17. The Griffins responded by scoring a late touchdown with 2:36 left in the half, making the score 28-17 at halftime. Manzardo reflected on the Huskies’ performance throughout the beginning of the game.
“We executed perfectly in the first half. All of my brothers made plays in the first half,” Manzardo said.
Things quickly got out of control for the Huskies going into the second half. The Griffin offense played with elite athleticism, a representation of their ranking. Two touchdowns by the Griffins made the score 42-17 with 4:36 left in the third quarter. Throughout that time, the Huskie offense couldn’t get much of anything going. The Huskies committed too many penalties to stay competitive at points. For instance, as the Huskies got close to getting a necessary first down, an offensive lineman would commit a false start, or the Huskie defense would be too physical while defending a Griffin receiver on a third down. One more touchdown by the Griffins early in the fourth quarter would define the final score: 49-17. Mally commented on the loss and how the Huskies initially came into the game.
“We were feeling confident…but, you know, we had to step up to the challenge, and I thought we played very well in the first half and just came up short in the second half,” Mally said.
The Huskies held their own throughout the first half. The Griffins are competing at a level where anything less than a state championship would be a disappointment, yet the Huskies made plays that managed to keep the Griffins on their toes. During his postgame speech, Head Coach Sean Drendel expressed his pride in how the team played on Friday. He highlighted the plays that kept the Huskies in the game, and emphasized that how the team reacted to this loss would determine how they played for the rest of the season.
“Well, I just think we did some good things in the first half, we just didn’t do quite enough in the second. We moved the ball well, but we got to protect [Bell] a little better, but we’re getting better,” Drendel said.
The game on Friday was one of many firsts for this Huskie team: their first true home game of the season, first game against an opponent ranked top-5 in the state since their loss to Loyola Academy last year and first homecoming game for many players who were elevated to varsity at the beginning of this year. It was also a game filled with lasts: it was the last time many members of the offense would be introduced to their home audience and the last homecoming game for seniors. Mally reminisced about his time with the Huskie football team and thought about the future.
“You know, shows how quick high school goes, you only got four years and now, now I only got what, six more games left, guaranteed? So we’re going to make it all we can and just hopefully come out on top for the ring this year,” Mally said.
The Huskies will play the Lockport Porters at Lockport High School on Sept. 28. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m.
