We are down to the final two games of the IHSA high school football regular season with Week Eight of Football Friday. Several local teams are clinging to playoff hopes with opportunities to earn victories dwindling down. Football Friday is sponsored by BMO.
Lincoln-Way East vs. Naperville North
The team that is the closest to a postseason spot is Naperville North. The Huskies have won two straight games in dramatic fashion and hope to pull off the upset against number two ranked Lincoln-Way East. The Griffins have impressed all season long, but are playing without USC-commit and the state’s all-time touchdown pass leader, Jonas Williams, due to injury.
To pull off an upset, you need to big plays to disrupt the game. Something like a blocked punt. Defensive lineman Gabe Hill delivers with a block that sets the North offense up deep in Lincoln-Way territory. William Eloe plunges in from two-yards out a few plays later to give the Huskies a 7-0 lead.
Another big play by the North defense with a fumble recovery from Marko Pavlovich after Griffin Jurjovec knocks the ball loose. William Eloe scores his second touchdown of the game, breaking loose from nearly 40 yards away. The Huskies have the Griffins shellshocked with a 14-0 halftime lead.
In the second half, Lincoln-Way finds its footing behind the legs of Brody Gish, who takes the wildcat snap and heads to his left and scores from six yards out. The two-point conversion attempt fails as North holds a 14-6 lead.
The Griffins are back in Husky territory with less than eight minutes to go in the game. But the North defense stands tall and forces a turnover on downs to maintain the lead.
Last chance for Lincoln-Way East with less than five seconds on the clock. Quarterback Tyler Knollenberg buys time and fires a Hail Mary into the end zone, but Griffin Jurjovec knocks the ball away. The North players storm the field as the Huskies are heading to the playoffs after handing Lincoln-Way East its first regular season loss since September of 2021.
Neuqua Valley vs. Sandburg
Despite a heartbreaking loss to Naperville North a week ago, Neuqua Valley can still make the playoffs if the Wildcats are able to pull off two wins in the final two games of the season. The Cats visit the reeling Sandburg Eagles, who have lost two straight after starting the year 5-0.
After scoring three touchdowns against the Huskies last week, Andy Barkley picks up where he left off with a shifty 20-yard touchdown run through the Eagles defense. The Wildcats strike first and take a 7-0 lead.
Sandburg takes a 10-7 lead into halftime and the Eagles get the ball to start the second half. Filling in at quarterback is Jeffery Bellik who throws the screen to Luke Basiorka, who follows a convoy of blockers ahead of him, and sprints down the sideline for a 65-yard touchdown. Sandburg opens up a 10-point lead to start the half after a 17-0 run.
Neuqua trails 24-14 late in the game. Drake Mennecke looks to keep the Wildcats alive as he looks for Andy Barkley who makes the catch and scores his third touchdown of the night. Six TD’s in the last three games for number five as Neuqua trails 24-21.
Sandburg needs a first down to run out the remaining clock. Facing third and seven, Jeffery Bellik keeps the ball himself and powers through for the first down with some help from his offensive line. The Eagles are able to hang on as Neuqua falls in another heartbreaker by a 24-21 score.
Nazareth vs. Benet Academy
Benet Academy also has hopes of making the postseason, but the Redwings will need to bring their best while celebrating Senior Night against Nazareth. The Roadrunners will provide a major challenge as always.
The Roadrunners lead 14-0 entering the second quarter and add to the lead with a third rushing touchdown of the night. Charles Calhoun scores from 19-yards out to make it 21-0.
Just before halftime, Nazareth takes to the air. Jake Cestone hauls in a 49-yard touchdown reception from Jackson Fallia to make it 28-0 heading into the break.
In the fourth quarter, the Redwings get the offense going. Cristiano Diomede throws a pair of touchdown passes, one to Luke Doyle and another to Ben Albert. But it would not be enough as Nazareth gets the win by a score of 42-14. Benet falls to 3-5 on the year with the defeat.
Metea Valley vs. Lockport
Metea Valley has consistently shown improvement throughout the season, but unfortunately the Mustangs do not have any wins to show for it since Week Two. Metea fell in overtime to Naperville Central a week ago and now has another strong opponent on the road at Lockport.
Trailing 7-0, the Mustangs answer back as quarterback Charles Larson drops a screen pass off to Zoelen Terry who breaks a tackle and scores from over 50-yards away to even things up at 7-7 in the early going.
Metea trails 21-7 late in the second quarter when Larson gets another touchdown pass, this time finding Marcus Sewart who gets into the endzone. The Mustangs are only down 21-14 at the break.
The Lockport offense proves to be too overpowering. Adam Kozak catches his second touchdown of the night from Brendan Mercher. The Porters are able to hold off the Mustangs by the score of 34-21. Lockport is now playoff eligible at 5-3 while Metea drops to 2-6.
Homewood-Flossmoor vs. Naperville Central
Naperville Central is out of the playoff picture, but would love to string some wins together to end the season. The Redhawks host Homewood-Flossmoor for the final home game of the year.
The Vikings lead 7-3 in the early going and add to that lead via the ground game. Kourtney Smith scores from 29 yards away to make it a 14-3 game.
In the second half, the Redhawks try to stay close. Jackson Loth finds a sliding James Vent in the back of the end zone for the touchdown. Central trails 21-10 midway through the third quarter.
But Homewood-Flossmoor does not let the game get any closer. Rahsaan Coleman throws a deep ball to Myles Ellis who makes the nice catch in tough coverage for the touchdown. Homewood-Flossmoor improves to 4-4 with a 29-10 victory over Naperville Central
Waubonsie Valley vs. Lincoln-Way Central
Waubonsie Valley picked up its first win of the year in blowout fashion last week. The Warriors hit the road against a talented Lincoln-Way Central roster.
After a quiet first quarter, Knights quarterback Drew Woodburn scrambles for the first touchdown of the game. Lincoln-Way Central takes a 7-0 lead.
The star of the show is Knights running back Justin Cobbs who scores four times in the game. Lincoln-Way goes on a major run to build a 30-0 advantage.
The Warriors get on the board in the fourth quarter with a touchdown pass from Nolan Alberson to Colin Ford. That is all the green and gold would be able to muster as Lincoln-Way Central takes the 37-7 victory as the Warriors drop to 1-7.
Standings and Schedules
Naperville North is heading to the playoffs for the fifth season in a row after the win over Lincoln-Way East, but it appears that the Huskies will be our lone post season participant in 2025. The best that Neuqua Valley and Benet can do is improve to 4-5.
Next week the marquee matchup is the annual Wes Spencer Crosstown Classic between Naperville North and Naperville Central. The Huskies would love another victory to improve their playoff seeding, while the Redhawks will undoubtably be fired up in hopes of upsetting their rivals. Neuqua Valley welcomes Lockport, Metea Valley heads to Homewood-Flossmoor. Benet Academy visits DePaul College Prep, while Waubonsie Valley welcomes familiar DuPage Valley Conference foe, DeKalb.
Just one week of the season remains for five of our local teams, so be sure to return next week to see how the year comes to a close before Naperville North begins its playoff journey. We’ll see you next week for the regular season finale of Football Friday. I’m Justin Cornwell, thanks for watching!
For more prep sports highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page!
