After an opening-round win over Warren, Naperville Central hits the road for the first round of the IHSA playoffs, taking on last season’s 8A runner-up, Oswego. The Panthers hold the four seed after an 8-1 regular season, which earned them an opening-round bye. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
The Panthers go to the run game with the return of tailback Ammar Banire, who has missed more than a month. He changes directions on the carry, and just like that, he’s back in the end zone as a 31-yard scamper gives Oswego a 7-0 lead.
Oswego gets the ball back but faces third and California, but Banire changes that. He needs to get to the Central 34-yard line, and he will, and gets plenty more. A huge run from Banire puts his team inside the red zone.
Panthers run game helps take control of the game
Then Luke Hernandez takes the handoff and gets an escort into the end zone with some key blocks, and the Panthers double their lead to 14-0 after one quarter.
Banire continues to give the home fans a treat. He runs to the outside and finds pay dirt for his second touchdown of the game. Two touchdowns on 118 yards for Banire in his return.
The Panthers hope for more points before the break, but Jaxon Pytlak puts a stop to it by sacking quarterback Drew Kleinhans for a loss. However, the Redhawks still trail 21-0 at the half.
Redhawks move the ball to start the second half
In the second half, the Hawks are moving as QB Simon Hayes hits Theodore Kim, who moves the sticks into enemy territory.
Hayes goes to the air once again but gets picked off by Dontrell Young. A huge stop by the Panther defense.
The offense goes back to work with Kleinhans rolling out and finding Hernandez. Hernandez jukes his man, gets by the other defender, and dives in for the touchdown. It’s 27-0 Oswego.
Despite the big deficit, the Redhawks show some positive vibes. Mark Williams takes the handoff on the end around, and he’s off to the races. He eventually gets brought down after a big gain, setting the Hawks up in scoring position.
Oswego moves on in the 8A playoffs
Then the Hawks unload the razzle dazzle. Hayes tosses to Ian Figi, who throws back to Hayes, and he nabs the catch for the touchdown. Coach Ulreich unleashes his inner Ben Johnson to get the Hawks on the board, but it’s too little, too late as Oswego takes the 27-6 win over Naperville Central. After going 2-7 a season ago, the Redhawks end the season with a final record of 6-5. The Panthers will face Naperville North next Friday in a rematch of last season’s first-round game.
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