Naperville Sports Weekly Football Friday Week Nine

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The final week of the high school football regular season is here and the stakes are high for all four of our matchups. Whether it’s a playoff berth, a conference title or the first win of the year, everybody has something to play for in week nine of Football Friday! Week nine of Football Friday is sponsored by BMO.

Waubonsie Valley vs. Naperville North

No this is not deja vu, for the second week in a row Naperville North is hosting Waubonsie Valley. The Huskies won the previous matchup by a 28-7 score to secure a playoff spot. With a record of 4-4, Waubonsie Valley needs a win to earn playoff eligibility.

If you want to talk about setting the tone, this is a perfect example. William Korosec takes the opening kickoff of the game from his own ten yard line and finds a seam up the middle before breaking into the clear. He wins the race down the sidelines to give the Huskies a 7-0 lead just 15 seconds into the game.

On the next Waubonsie drive, Luke Elsea drops back to pass but it’s a little too high and Korosec makes the play again! The Huskie takes the interception the other way for a pick six. What a start for Naperville North and Korosec who jumps out to a 14-0 lead.

Same score in the third quarter when Jacob Bell hands the ball to Cole Arl up the middle and the senior bursts through the line for a 64 yard touchdown run. Huskies looking to run away with this one up 21-0.

The Warriors are still fighting to save their season. On the ensuing drive, Luke Elsea drops a dime into the arms of Trent Selby for the 34 yard touchdown. Waubonsie Valley still alive as the lead is cut to 21-7.

The Huskie defense is able to shut things down from there. Luke Williams shows why he will be playing in the Big Ten next fall with the incredible one-handed interception as Naperville North holds off Waubonsie Valley by a 28-7 score for the second straight week. The Huskies improve to 6-3 while the Warriors see their playoff bubble go pop at 4-5.

Benet Academy vs. Providence Catholic

The only other game with playoff spots hanging in the balance is Benet Academy traveling to Providence Catholic. We have not seen the Redwings on Football Friday in a while after three straight Saturday games, but the Wings enter this game at 4-4, the same record as the Celtics. The winner will be moving on to the post season, while the loser will likely be watching from home.

In the opening quarter, Ryan Kubacki Jr leads the Redwings down the field and gives his team the early 7-0 lead on a screen pass to Charlie Kane.

Providence Catholic has a response. With the game tied at 7-7 in the second quarter, Celtics quarterback Leo Slepski drops back and finds Alex Gibson for the touchdown to make it 14-7.

Benet looking to get back into a rhythm on offense, but Kubacki’s pass is tipped and intercepted by Jaylen McMiller who takes it back and gets the ball across the goal line. The Celtics build a 29-7 lead into the second half.

Trailing 35-14 late in the fourth quarter, the Redwings refuse to quit. Kubacki finds an open Rocky Rosanova for the touchdown to make it a two score game at 35-21.

Under two minutes to play, Benet gets the ball back and Kubacki takes it in himself from a few yards out. The Redwings trail 35-28. But unfortunately the onside kick attempt fails time runs out. Providence Catholic picks up the playoff spot after hanging on for the win over Benet Academy.

Neuqua Valley vs. Naperville Central

Our next clash has Neuqua Valley visiting Naperville Central in the DVC Bowl. The Wildcats would like to avenge their loss to the Redhawks from earlier in the season in this battle between the top two teams in the conference. Both teams have already punched their playoff tickets but bragging rights and improved seeding in the postseason are on the line as well.

A 7-7 game in the second quarter when Jack Cook throws a wide receiver screen to Chris Bern. The junior darts through the defense and turns on the afterburners to put Naperville Central in front 14-7.

Neuqua looking for a response and finding it from an unexpected source as Will Beamon takes the pitch and cuts to the open field up the middle. He scampers 70 yards before being dragged down at the ten. Beamon runs it in a few plays later to even the score at 14-14.

Wildcats leading in the second half, quarterback Ryan Mohler freezes the defense with the play action before finding a wide open Cooper Lehman for the touchdown to put the blue and gold on top 26-14.

The Neuqua Valley defense holds on to the lead, intercepting Cook three times on the night. The Wildcats win the final DVC Bowl matchup and tie the Redhawks in the standings before the football conference merges with the Southwest Suburban Conference next fall.

Metea Valley vs. DeKalb

We wrap things up with two teams no longer in the playoff hunt but looking to end the season on a high note. Metea Valley hopes to finally pick up its first victory of the season while DeKalb would love to end a four game losing streak in which the Barbs defense has given up over 40 points in each game.

In the opening quarter, DeKalb gets the ball in the hands of playmaker Talen Tate, who scampers through the Metea defense for the long distance touchdown to put DeKalb in front 6-0.

The Mustangs turn things around in the second quarter. Trailing 6-3, Hank Omar takes the direct snap and follows his blockers into the end zone. Metea Valley jumps in front by a 10-6 score.

But the second half would belong to the Barbs as Travis Moore takes the handoff before fighting his way through the defense for a thirty yard touchdown run. DeKalb uses a 19-0 run to end the ball game for the 25-10 victory over the Mustangs to end the season at 3-6.

Standings and Schedules

The final DVC standings have Neuqua Valley and Naperville Central in a tie for first in the conference, although the Wildcats are the DVC Bowl champions. The Redhawks did have the better overall record on the year at 7-2. Naperville North ends the year in third with Waubonsie Valley fourth, DeKalb fifth and Metea Valley in sixth.

In the the CCL/ESCC White Division, Montini Catholic ended the regular season on top after a 24-17 win over St. Laurence. Both teams are firmly in the playoff picture as is Providence Catholic who finished in third. Benet can simply look at its 0-3 record in the division as to why the post season eludes the team this fall.

When it comes to the schedules, right now it remains a mystery. All we know for sure is that Neuqua Valley, Naperville Central and Naperville North will be playing in the 8A post season. The playoff pairings will be announced on Saturday night around 8pm on IHSA TV. We will be tweeting out the playoff matchups for the three teams once they are released.

So depending on when the games are played, we will return for at least one more week of Football Friday with round one of the 2023 playoffs. It should be another great weekend of competition and we are thrilled to continue the journey into the second season. See you in the playoffs, for Football Friday, I’m Justin Cornwell.

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