Welcome back to another night of Naperville football. This Friday is Pediatric Cancer Awareness Night on the field, featuring a joint effort between Naperville North and Metea Valley in support. The matchup sees the Huskies hosting the Mustangs, and Metea comes in with an undefeated record of 2-0, which hasn’t happened for their team since 2011. But Naperville North has the home-field advantage, and that could stop Metea’s momentum. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
Geist gets hands on the ball and Eloe follows through
The Huskies start strong as it’s second and medium, Josiah Nothacker locates CJ (Carlson) Geist for a nice grab outside to put the Huskies in the redzone. On the next play, William Eloe powers through the Mustang defense for his first touchdown of the night, Naperville North hands Metea the first score of the night and leads 7-0 to start the first quarter.
Metea looks to respond on their first possession of the night; however, Charlie Larson’s pass is intercepted by Drew Murphy, putting the offense near the endzone, adding momentum for the Huskies. Eloe builds on that momentum and rushes for another Huskie touchdown, his second of the night, as Naperville North leads 14-0 with less than 9 minutes remaining in the first quarter.
The Huskies force a quick three-and-out, and the Mustangs give up good field positioning for North after a botched punt allows Mason Hill to burst through the Mustang defense for first and goal for North. Eloe secures the hat trick by muscling through the Mustang defense as North holds a commanding 21-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The Mustangs put together a nice drive courtesy of Larson as he picks up a first down after a strong run attempt. However, it’s a big fourth and goal for Metea to get some momentum on their side. The Huskie defense stands strong and denies Larson as he attempts to score. North holds a 21-0 lead with 8:08 left in the second.
Naperville North hands Metea Valley its first loss of the season
North looks to capitalize on the Huskie defensive stop as Nothacker locates Christian Briggs for the first down and a big third down conversion to keep the chains moving. Hill bursts through the Mustang defense, scoring another Huskie touchdown, and a 28-0 lead at the half.
The Mustangs are able to put together another promising drive, however, they are faced with another third-and-goal. This time, Larson powers his way through and scores Metea their first touchdown of the night! A good play, but unfortunately for Metea, it’s not enough to secure the victory. Both Nothacker and Larson scored touchdowns, Metea and North respectively, but Metea Valley ultimately falls to Naperville North 35-14. The Huskies face Homewood Flossmoor next Friday, who sit at a 2-1 record on the season.
For more prep sports highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page!
