On Friday, August 29th, Naperville North High School’s varsity football team lost against the New Trier Trevians in their first in-season game.
The Huskies (0-1) lost to the Trevians (1-0) with a score of 20-14.
The Huskies started the game off strong with multiple complete passes and powerful defensive plays, specifically from senior defensive lineman, Gabe Hill (8), who set a new Naperville North record for the most tackles causing loss of yards. Unfortunately, the Huskies’ defense was not enough to stop the Trevians, who scored the first touchdown of the game with 3:36 left in the first quarter and secured the extra point, leading to a score of 7-0. Even though the Huskies tried to fight with a complete 29-yard pass to junior wide receiver Jack Zitko (12), the first quarter ended with the Trevians in the lead. Due to tough defense by Hill, the Huskies started the second quarter strong. They continued to fight through hefty offensive plays and took advantage of two personal fouls against the Trevians to get closer to the endzone. Then, with 4:38 left in the first half, senior quarterback Josiah Nothacker (7) secured the first touchdown of the game for the Huskies through a 9-yard run. The Huskies completed the extra point as well, which led to a tied score of 7-7. However, the Trevians’ offense was able to slip through the Huskies’ defense and obtain their second touchdown as well as the extra point, ending the half with a score of 14-7. Nothacker explained what it meant to him to get his team on the scoreboard.
“It was really great. It made the team get more hype and after we got that touchdown it felt like we were really in that game,” Nothacker said.
At the start of the second half, the Huskies fiercely entered the field due to Hill, causing the Trevians’ quarterback to botch a pass. The Huskies continued the powerful momentum with Nothacker handing off the ball to senior running back, William Eloe (17), who wiggled through the Trevian’s defense and gained six yards for the Huskies on top of a first down. Nothacker then completed another pass to junior wide receiver CJ Geist (80), who ran ten yards and earned another first down for the Huskies. Nothacker’s next pass was incomplete due to a personal foul on the Trevians, but the Huskies bounced back with a 19-yard run to the 1-yard line, where junior running back Mason Hill (26) secured a Huskie touchdown. Senior kicker Leo Taylor (27) earned the extra point for the Huskies, making the score 14-14 with 4:58 left in the third quarter. Sadly, with such a close game, the Trevians had a proficient start in the fourth quarter through their aggressive offense. The Trevians then secured a touchdown at 8:34, but their extra point was blocked by Gabe Hill, which led to a score of 20-14 with 8:34. Although the Huskies fought hard to make a comeback, the game ended with the final score of 20-14 Trevians. Gabe Hill reflected on the crushing loss.
“I thought they were a good team, but I thought we were better, […] if we played hard and kept a good mindset, I thought we could’ve dominated,” Hill said.
This was the Huskies’ first in-season game with their new lineup after losing key players from the year before. Head Coach Sean Drendel detailed what he wants to see from his players in the rest of the season.
“We just got to keep on getting a little bit better, and there were some things we did well. We need to work on the negatives and keep getting better at the positives,” Drendel said.
Next week, the Huskies will play on the road against the Libertyville Wildcats on September 5th. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
