For the first time since 2021, Naperville North’s varsity football team came out on top against Naperville Central on Friday, October 25th.
The Huskies (6-3) narrowly beat the Redhawks (2-7) with a score of 21-15.
Both defenses came out very strong, forcing punts on each of the opening possessions before Central broke through for their first touchdown of the night with 9:25 remaining in the second quarter. The Huskies’ special teams made a statement immediately after, blocking the Redhawks’ extra point attempt to keep the score 6-0.
The Huskie offense comes back onto the field fired up. Junior quarterback Dante Colasante (13) led the charge with a series of stunning passes, finding Junior wide receiver CJ Geist (80) wide open for North’s first touchdown of the night with 4:41 remaining in the half. Senior kicker Leo Taylor’s (27) extra point put the Huskies ahead of the Redhawks with a score of 7-6. After a Huskie touchback, the Redhawk offense managed to get within field goal range, sinking a deep field goal to end the half 9-7, Huskies trailing. Colasante remarked on his incredible performance in the second quarter.
“I just went out there and played my game. The guys around me gave me confidence to play and helped me a lot,” Colesante said.
The Huskies opened the half strong but were unable to make key advancements and were stopped short due to penalties. North’s defense responded by holding Central to yet another quick punt, holding the Redhawks to a single yard. The Huskie offense was unable to capitalize, and when the Redhawks regained the ball, the Huskie defense couldn’t hold them down. With 3:44 left in the quarter, Naperville Central managed to break through Huskie lines for a touchdown. After missing the extra point again, the score was 15-7 to end the quarter.
The fourth quarter began with a North fumble on fourth down. Luckily, the Huskie defense forced another punt, recovering the ball at their own 37. After some outstanding Colesante passes and key receptions from Geist, Senior tight end Finn Bretag (1) and Senior wide receiver Christian Briggs (11). Senior running back William Eloe (17) managed to break through the powerful Redhawk defense for a touchdown with 5:34 left in the game. A failed two-point conversion put North right behind Central with a score of 15-13. The Huskie defense forced another punt, allowing the offense to start a build-up at their own 46. After some key passes to Junior wide receiver Jack Zitko (12) and Geist, Eloe was able to secure his second touchdown of the night with 11 seconds left in the game. After a successful two-point conversion, the Huskies led 21-15 to end the game. Eloe described the determination it took to score such critical touchdowns.
“They were stout against the run, they’re stacking the box with 8 guys, but I knew if we just kept punching them in the mouth, eventually they’d wear out,” Eloe said.
Colesante started his first game for the Huskies last night. He remained poised under pressure and lived up to the occasion. Reflecting on his performance, Coach Drendel praised the quarterback.
“We felt like [Dante] was in the game now and we were ready to unleash him a little bit… He did an awesome job. After losing our senior quarterback and having a junior step into this environment is awesome,” Drendel said.
Huskies will now play in the Playoffs. The Huskies’ opponent for the first round of playoffs will be announced at 8:49 PM on Saturday, October 25th.
