The Redhawk rowdies dawn gold for Pediatric Cancer Month and celebrate homecoming as their team, Naperville Central, takes the field searching for that first win in a Naperville Central defensive battle, sitting at 0-2. They welcome the Sandburg Eagles, a 2-0 squad that comes in outscoring their opponents 58-16 in their two games. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
Naperville Central and Sandburg Eagles fight a defensive battle
However, scorigami is very unlikely because Jaxon Pytlak and Joe Clermont swarm in and sack Sandburg QB Sean Ruisz to force a three-and-out.
Here’s the punt from Drew Drzonek, and this booming kick takes a good bounce and rolls inside the ten.
Central can’t move the ball, so they have to punt, but the snap goes over Gavin Ellison’s head and out of the back of the end zone for a safety.
The Eagles look to feed off that swing, but Paul Peradotti feeds the Redhawk defense with yet another sack.
QB Jackson Loth is eager to put a drive together, but he throws an interception to Vinny Annel. Sandburg keeps a 2-0 lead heading into halftime.
Naperville Central gets a narrow lead into the fourth
In the second half, the Redhawks move the pigskin with Loth hitting Vince Bern to move those chains.
The drive stalls, but here’s Gavin Ellison on to attempt a 40-yard field goal, and he splits the uprights to give Naperville Central a 3-2 lead heading into the fourth.
What can the Eagles do from there? Well Matt Guerin for Central knows what to do and that’s adding another loss of yards to the Redhawk sack menu.
Sandburg Eagles kicks for victory in the final moments
The Hawks hope to put the game away, but Loth’s fourth-down pass to Ryan Jacobson is short of the line to gain, and the Eagles take over with a chance to win the game.
Sean Ruiz goes to work, dropping back and hitting a sliding Malik Abdelal for a first down, and Sandburg is in enemy territory.
They call up Drzonek, who lines up for a 39-yard field goal. Here’s the kick and it is good from 39 yards out. Sandburg leads 5-3 with nine seconds left in the ball game.
Redhawks with one last chance as they display the laterals, but it’s eventually picked off by Jaden Weaver, and the Eagles win the Naperville Central defensive battle defensive battle 5-3 over the Redhawks.
For more prep sports highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page!
