September is here, along with week two of Football Friday and a full slate of high school action on the gridiron. Five of our six local teams are on the road this week, but we begin with the lone team defending its home turf, Neuqua Valley. Football Friday is sponsored by BMO.
Minooka vs. Neuqua Valley
Neuqua is coming off an exciting opening week victory over rival Waubonsie Valley. The Wildcats welcome Minooka, a team that edged out Neuqua 16-14 a season ago. The Indians are coming off a tough 36-35 defeat at the hands of St. Charles North.
Trailing 7-0, Neuqua Valley opens up the passing game as Drake Mennecke drops back and connects with Daniel Robinson for the big play touchdown. The Wildcats miss the extra point and trail 7-6.
Minooka is on the move and pushing to expand the lead. Quarterback Zane Kaves keeps the ball himself and bullies his way into the end zone from 14 yards away. Minooka takes a 14-6 lead into the second half.
With under three minutes to play, the Wildcats are driving and look to get the game tied. Mennecke finds Andy Barkley for the touchdown to put Neuqua down 14-12. The Wildcats go for two as Mennecke keeps the ball and heads to his left near the pylon, but the run is stopped just short of the goal line. Minooka holds on to that two-point lead.
The Neuqua defense gets a stop, giving Mennecke one final chance at the win. In the final seconds, the Neuqua signal caller buys time and makes a fourth-down heave that is broken up. Minooka holds on for the 14-12 victory, dropping Neuqua to 1-1 to start the year.
Naperville North vs. New Trier
A late drive to tie the game fell just short for Naperville North a week ago; the Huskies look to get on the winning track with a tough road test against Libertyville. The Wildcats began their season with a 24-14 victory over Lemont.
After a scoreless first quarter, North quarterback Josiah Northacker throws a fastball to a streaking Jack Zitko, who makes the catch in stride and takes it 60 yards for the touchdown. 7-0 Huskies.
Near the end of the fourth quarter, with the Huskies clinging to a 14-7 lead. Libertyville quarterback Brady Buenik plunges into the end zone to tie the game, sending us into overtime for the first time this year.
Naperville North gets the ball first, and on the first play of OT, William Eloe takes the handoff and takes it ten yards up the middle and in for the score. The Huskies are a defensive stop away from victory.
Fourth down and ten for the Wildcats. Buenik looks downfield, but the coverage is good. John Sanford tracks Buenik down and makes the sack to end the game. The Huskies storm the field after a hard-fought 21-14 overtime victory over Libertyville.
Metea Valley vs. Plainfield Central
Metea Valley burst onto the 2025 season with an impressive home victory over Downers Grove South. In week two, the Mustangs visit Plainfield Central, the victim of Metea’s lone victory in 2024.
In the first quarter, the Mustang offense picks up where it left off in week one. Charlie Larson rolls to his right and hits Trent Sterling, who wrestles the ball away from the Wildcat defender for the touchdown.
Later in the half, Larson fakes the handoff and keeps the ball himself, scampering into the end zone as Metea takes a 14-0 lead.
The Mustangs continue their run late in the first half. Noah Douglas takes the handoff and pushes towards the goal line before finding paydirt. Metea Valley takes a 28-0 lead.
The defense for the black and gold keeps Plainfield in check. John Hume makes the leaping interception and returns it into Wildcat territory. For the first time since 2011, Metea Valley football is 2-0 following an impressive 48-7 victory.
Naperville Central vs. Hinsdale Central
Naperville Central was stunned a week ago after being taken down by Oswego to start the season. The Redhawks look to turn things around in week two with a road challenge against the Red Devils of Hinsdale Central.
Already leading 7-0 and knocking at the door of the Naperville Central goal line, Red Devil quarterback Riley Contreras rolls to his left and finds acres of open space to waltz into the end zone. Hinsdale Central goes up 14-0.
The Redhawks are deep in their own territory, looking to get a drive going, but Jackson Loth is hit and loses the ball in the end zone. Matt Tomafohrde pounces on the ball for the touchdown to make it a 21-0 lead.
In the second half, Naperville Central gets the ball moving as Landon Nelson bursts through the line and in for the first Redhawk touchdown of the game. It’s a 21-7 game late in the third.
Trailing 28-7 in the fourth quarter, Loth throws into the end zone, and Vince Bern goes up and makes a great contested catch. But the comeback stalls there as Hinsdale Central runs out the clock and holds on for a 28-14 win, dropping the Redhawks to 0-2.
Waubonsie Valley vs. New Trier
After a late comeback attempt against Neuqua Valley fell just out of reach, Waubonsie Valley heads north to take on New Trier in search of win number one. The Trevians are looking to build on a solid week one road victory over Naperville North.
Early in the second quarter, New Trier is driving near the red zone. Quarterback Jackie Ryder rolls out to his right and takes off running. He gets a block downfield and swerves around Warrior defenders to get into the end zone for the first score of the game. Trevians lead 7-0.
A few minutes later, New Trier has the ball back in Waubonsie territory. Ryder drops a deep pass down the sidelines right into the arms of Keefer Baxter. The Trevians take a 17-0 lead into halftime.
Following a long kickoff return to start the second half, the Warriors quickly capitalize as quarterback Colin Ford takes the snap and sprints to his right, powering his way into the end zone. A much-needed spark puts Waubonsie down 17-7 just a minute into the second half.
Less than a minute left in the third quarter, New Trier with a 24-7 lead, but Waubonsie is knocking on the door. Ford hands off to Brayden Hostetler, who follows a huge hole opened by the offensive line as the Warriors are back within 24-14. Unfortunately, the Waubonsie offense is unable to add to that total in the fourth as New Trier hangs on from there for the victory.
Benet Academy vs. Glenbard North
Benet Academy started the season with a home victory over Hillcrest, showing a strong defensive performance. The Redwings hit the road in week two to face a Glenbard North team that dominated Bartlett to start the year.
In the first quarter, Benet hopes to get the offense going. Joe Salvino takes the handoff and follows his blockers before bouncing outside into the daylight. The Redwing is off to the races and breaks the final tackle attempt, capping off a 70-yard touchdown run for the opening score of the game.
In the second quarter, Glenbard North evens the score as Donato Gatses bursts through the defense and down the sideline to tie the game at 7-7.
With time winding down in the half, Benet punts the ball away to Angelo Gatses, who fields the ball inside Panther territory before breaking into the open field. He shakes loose for his second touchdown of the half. Glenbard North goes on a 41-0 run, eventually taking down Benet by the score of 41-15 as the Redwings fall to 1-1 on the year.
Standings and Schedules
Metea Valley is our lone undefeated team after two weeks of play with that 2-0 record. Neuqua, North, and Benet are all even at 1-1, while Naperville Central and Waubonsie Valley, two playoff teams from a season ago, are still looking for their first win.
Next week, the conference portion of the schedule kicks off. Metea Valley looks to improve to 3-0 for the first time ever on the road at Naperville North. Neuqua Valley has a danting road trip out to Lincoln-Way East. Naperville Central returns home to face Sandburg while Waubonsie Valley heads to Bradley-Bourbonnais. Benet Academy is back at home against De La Salle.
The season is young, but we are approaching some must-win territory for several of our local teams. Another exciting slate of action comes your way next Friday! We’ll see you then, for Football Friday, I’m Justin Cornwell.
For more prep sports highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page!
