In a game filled with broken records and dominant individual performances, the Naperville North varsity football team advanced to the IHSA playoffs after a strong win against Carl Sandburg High School on Friday, Oct. 25.
The Huskies (7-2) defeated the Eagles (5-4) by a score of 44-34.
The Huskie offense came out swinging on the first play from scrimmage against the Eagles; senior wide receiver Brock Pettaway (11) took the Huskies from their own 35 yard line to the Sandburg 2 yard line. Soon after came the Huskies’ first score: a short completion to senior WR Nick Manzardo (1) from senior quarterback Jacob Bell (2) 1:34 into the game. The Huskie defense, however, didn’t come out with the same energy or efficiency as the offense. The Eagles quickly and decisively matriculated the ball down the field. They put a touchdown up on the board to tie the game at 7-7 with 8:10 left in the first quarter. The Eagles’ special teams unit surprised the Huskies by attempting and recovering an onside kick. This was countered by a stellar interception by senior defensive back Zach Mally (20). The next score of the game by either team came several minutes by way of a receiving touchdown by senior WR Quinn Morris (85), making the score 14-14 with 1:18 remaining in the quarter. After another scoring hiatus, this time resuming with 7:42 left in the half, the Eagles tied the game at 14-14. The Huskie offense followed up that Eagles drive disastrously. The Eagles blocked senior punter Braeden Swanson’s (17) punt and instantly assumed excellent field position. However, the Huskies intercepted the Sandburg quarterback once again, this time coming from senior DB Edward Mumford (33). The Huskie offense couldn’t get anything going on the drive coming out of Mumford’s interception and punted soon after. Mumford then immediately intercepted the Eagles a second time. The Huskies would capitalize on this mistake by the Eagles, ending the half with a field goal from senior kicker Tyler Duewel (29). The score going into halftime was 17-14, Huskies. Mumford lamented his missed opportunities throughout the game.
“What are we doing right now? We’re winning… I’m mad I didn’t get three [interceptions], I should’ve had three,” Mumford said.
In contrast to the first half, the beginning of the second half showcased the strengths of the Huskie defense. Big plays by junior defensive lineman Gabe Hill (99) and the rest of the defensive front forced an early punt by the Eagles’ offense. The Huskie offense began to widen their lead over Sandburg through a touchdown to junior tight end Finn Bretag (81) with 8:34 left in the third quarter. The Eagles responded fast, scoring a touchdown of their own with 7:51 left in the quarter, making the score 24-21. After a missed field goal by the Huskies and an assertive defensive stop, Bell found Manzardo once again for a score with 1:48 left in the quarter, making the score 31-28. Senior linebacker Aidan Pabarja (21) intercepted the Eagles quarterback at the start of the following Eagles possession. With the spirit of great complementary football in mind, the Huskie offense utilized their short field to their advantage. Senior Huskie running back Rahsean Blake (13) ran the ball in with 11:55 left in the game, making the score 38-28.. The Huskie defense would force one more interception from the Eagles quarterback; Mally notched his second of the night. Senior WR Ian MacConnachie (7) would score the last Huskie touchdown of the night with an amazing back-of-the-endzone grab with 6:19 left in the game. The extra point was blocked, finalizing the Huskies’ score at 44 points. After a recovered fumble by Hill, the Huskies essentially wiped away any chance of an Eagle comeback. The Eagles scored a touchdown with 1:11 left in the game, but an impressive tackle by junior DL Jovani Dones (77) ensured the Huskies’ victory. Manzardo gave credit to every facet of the offense after the win.
“Everyone played for each other; everyone played great. The O-line was unimaginable, they played amazing. All of our receivers, they all got some [catches]. Running back got some. We were able to run the ball which opens up the passing lanes and makes it easy for us to score,” Manzardo said.
Huskie players astonished the crowd by breaking several records.. The first one to be broken was by Bell. Bell’s first touchdown to Manzardo was his 30th on the season, breaking the previous Naperville North record of passing touchdowns in a season. Bell would end up with 34 total passing touchdowns by the end of the game. Bell also finished the season with 3 rushing touchdowns. Morris, in his first season as a Huskie, also earned his spot in the record books. With his touchdown from Bell, Morris became the record holder for most receiving touchdowns in a single season at 11. The connection between Bell and Morris was arguably the strongest aspect of the offense this year. Bell opened up about what it took for him to reach this point as a quarterback and as a leader.
“I don’t know if many people know this, but last year I had a really rough year and I faced a lot of adversity. This offseason was all about growing and maturing and it’s paid off. Timing with receivers, chemistry with Coach [Sean] Drendel, the offensive coordinator, it’s coming into play,” Bell said.
The Huskie defense saw many great individual performances against Sandburg. Mumford saw his first multi-interception game of his career. Mumford ends the season with 5 interceptions, an impressive total for a player who saw his first snaps as a starter at the beginning of this season. No performance could overshadow Hill’s, however. Hill broke two records against the Eagles: most tackles-for-loss in one season and most career sacks as a Huskie. Hill secured his 16th sack through his two years as a varsity player and his 23rd tackle-for-loss of the season against the Eagles. As a junior, it is guaranteed that Hill will continue to dominate opposing quarterbacks and rack up more sacks as his game improves heading into his final year as a Huskie. Hill isn’t afraid to continue to push his own limits as a player.
“The goal is to always surpass what the current standard is. So I don’t know what I’m going to do, but I know that I’m going to keep working and I’m going to keep getting results,” Hill said.
The team celebrated their senior night on Oct. 25 as well.. Due to the complications of how playoff seeding affects scheduling, it wasn’t guaranteed that the senior Huskies would have played another game at home if they had lost to Sandburg. Because of this, many Huskies came into the game with a mindset that involved the potential of never playing in front of a large, passionate Naperville North crowd again. Regardless, the Huskies ended up beating the Eagles, securing a home playoff game to be played next week. Head Coach Sean Drendel has a special place in his heart for the class of 2025 and their football players.
“This senior class is special. Obviously my son is in the class, so there are guys that I’ve known for a long time and I love them,” Drendel said.
The Huskies finished the season with a strong record of 7-2, with the only two losses coming from Lincoln-Way East and Naperville Central. Those two teams played each other during the Huskies’ game against the Eagles, with the Lincoln-Way East Griffins handing the Redhawks their first loss of the season. The Griffins enter the playoffs undefeated. Throughout the season, the Huskies have proven themselves to be a legitimate playoff contender, especially through the last five games in which the Huskies have gone undefeated and outscored their opponents by a combined score of 218-150. In those games, the Huskies have averaged 43.6 points. As a result of their significant momentum, the Huskies are entering the playoffs with the gas pedal to the floor, hoping to win their first playoff game since the 2008-09 season. MacConnachie has high expectations for his second playoff game of his career.
“I’m really hoping [for] a good turnout. After that big win on senior night, it may be our last high school football game for these seniors to watch as a student. They should all come out. That’s how it should be,” MacConnachie said.
The Huskies’ will play Maine South on Saturday, Nov. 2 at 6 p.m.
Update: This story was updated to reflect the current time and date of the playoff game.
