Offensive and defensive motivation played a huge role as the Huskie varsity football team completed a shutout victory against Neuqua Valley High School on Oct. 11.
The Huskies (5-2) secured the win against the Wildcats (1-6) with a score of 42-0.
The Huskies started the game off hot with senior linebacker Ben Mittenthal (40) making a huge tackle for a loss, leading to an opening defensive stop for the Huskies. Then, senior quarterback Jacob Bell (2) and senior wide receiver Chico Thomas (82) connected a pass, which led to a rushing touchdown by senior running back Rahsean Blake (13), putting the Huskies up 7-0 with 9:26 left in the first quarter. After that touchdown, junior defensive lineman Gabriel Hill (99) forced a fumble, and senior defensive lineman Donavan Howard (52) scooped it up for the touchdown, putting the Huskies up 14-0 with 8:37 left in the first quarter. Later, senior cornerback Zach Mally (20) got an interception in the endzone and returned it all the way to the Wildcats’ 45 yard line. Senior wide receiver Nick Manzardo (1) commented on the strong start for the Huskies.
“We knew against [Neuqua] that we were going to be able to run the ball and pass the ball just as well as we’d been doing for the season,” Manzardo said.
The Huskies failed to score after the interception, but defense held their ground and forced the Wildcats into some costly penalties. The Huskies regained possession, which led to plays by senior wide receiver Charlie Shinkle (10) and Manzardo. Bell ran for a rushing touchdown to make the score 21-0 with 8:11 left in the second quarter. Later, the Huskies got the ball back in the redzone after penalties from the Wildcats, which led to a touchdown pass from Bell to senior wide receiver Brock Pettaway (11), making the score 28-0 heading into the half. Mally comments on the defensive dominance in the first half.
“We knew we were the better team going in. We stuck to our game plan and showed 110% effort,” Mally said.
The third quarter got off to a slow start, with the Huskies receiving the opening kick and both teams punting on their first drives. The Huskies quickly picked up speed with a huge touchdown pass from Bell to Manzardo, making the score 35-0 with 8:46 left. A defensive stop and a sack by Hill wrapped up the quarter with a score of 35-0.
The Huskies carried the momentum they had all game into the fourth quarter, with Bell passing to Shinkle for a clean touchdown, making the score 42-0 with 8:44 left in the game. Then, on the final defensive drive of the game, senior cornerback Jordan Robinson (12) secured an interception, which decided the final score of the game at 42-0. Bell commented on the team’s plan in the upcoming playoffs.
“Our goal is just to win the week, every week and not get too far ahead or too far behind. Just win every next week. Just win that week,” Bell said.
This game secured a spot in the IHSA football playoffs for the Huskies. The big plays encouraged offense and defense to keep their motivation up all game. Head Coach Sean Drendel comments on the execution by the offense and defense.
“Our kids played great. On defense we had a good game plan. Coach had them ready to go and they flew around and hit people and when you do that stuff you play pretty well,” Coach Drendel said.
This game held a lot of emotion and significance behind it as well. It was geared towards honoring the veterans who have served our country. The Naperville North Veterans Club came out to help volunteers during the game. Naperville North Veterans Club sponsor and varsity football Assistant Coach Kevin Benages set up the festivities for the veterans and made sure it was a successful night.
The Huskies will play on the road against the Homewood-Flossmoor Vikings on Oct. 18. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
