It’s one of the numbers the Naperville North football program carries around with reverence.
Becoming one of the better programs in Illinois behind both Larry McKeon and Sean Drendel, a lineage that includes 12 double digit-winning seasons, six DuPage Valley Conference titles and claiming state titles in 1992 and 2007, the number 17 may carry the biggest significance.
McKeon and Drendel have combined to lead the Huskies to 17 straight postseason appearances, a streak that started with a nine-win season in 1997.
With designs of extending that streak to 18 this season, the Huskies opened up the year with two straight victories before suffering three straight losses heading into Friday night’s annual meeting with crosstown rival Naperville Central at North Central College.
“Is it important this week? It’s irrelevant this week. We’re playing our rivals, Naperville Central, who’s playing very well and we’re not playing very well,” Drendel said. “So our focus has completely been on this team and this team only and we’re just working to get better.”
The defending 8A state champions, ranked 11th by the Sun-Times, mark the start of a brutal finishing stretch for Naperville North (2-3, 0-1), which includes games against both Wheaton schools and a trip to Glenbard North to finish the year.
The Huskies fell behind 28-0 at Lake Park last week before eventually losing 35-21 to a Lancers team that’s tied among DVC teams with the defending Class 8A state champions with a 4-1 record.
In relief of Chris Gajcak, Evan Kujawski threw three second-half TD passes for the Huskies in an effort to jump start their offense.
“If we got behind, that was (the plan). We knew running the football—we were down three touchdowns. We knew running the football wasn’t going to get us back in the game,” Drendel said. “So we’ve always had that in our back pocket. Evan gives us a little more in throwing the football. So, I mean, are we going to make a change? No, we’re not. We’re going to play our game. We’re just working to get better and put the best 11 on the field.”
Gajcak leads the Huskies with 313 yards rushing, but Naperville Central coach Mike Stine considers D’Angelo Hyshaw, who has just 176 total yards and two TDs, to be “their best athlete.”
Meanwhile, the Redhawks (4-1, 1-0) are rolling in piecing together a four-game winning streak in response to beginning their state title defense with a 20-6 loss at Waubonsie Valley in Week 1.
Fully mindful of the anomaly of winning a game without running a single offensive play in the first quarter last week against Glenbard North, Stine knows what his offense has got to get done.
Averaging 139 yards a game on the ground, with Kevin Clifford’s 477 yards and four TDs pacing the attack, Stine, in his ninth year at the helm of the Redhawk football program, is aware they’ll have to be able to run on the Huskies’ defense tonight and need to do a better job overall of being able to close the door with the running game.
“We have to be able to run the ball better. We have to be able to run it offensively to set up our pass game, so we got to make a concerted effort to be able to run the ball,” he said. “You know, from the most part in the games—except last week—even in the (Wheaton South) game, we didn’t run it all game.
“But when we needed to late, we were able to run it that last drive and go the length of the field and kick the winning field goal (against Wheaton South). Last week (against Glenbard North), we had two different opportunities in the fourth quarter where we got the ball back (and) we couldn’t (get a) first down and run out the clock.
“So you’re never going to run the ball all game, but when it gets time to be able to run it, if you want to be a really good team, you got to be able to do it in those times. So that’s something we’ve talked about and that’s something we’re going to work towards continuing to get better at.”
Defensive coordinator Mike Ulreich’s charges have been playing extremely well—highlighted by the three pick-sixes they had in last week’s 28-14 victory over the Panthers.
Last week, Iowa State-bound linebacker Bobby McMillen, Jack Walsh and Rick Hatton all intercepted Brett Gasiorowski passes to help sustain the momentum they’ve gleaned on defense, which has seen them permit their four opponents since Waubonsie Valley to only 5.25 points a game.
Seven different Redhawk defenders have interceptions this year, paced by Justin Wegner’s two against Neuqua Valley in a 19-0 victory on Sept. 5.
“I mean, they play great team defense. They’re in the right place, so they run to the football. I mean, that’s really (what it boils down to),” Drendel said. “They’re very disciplined. They know where they’re supposed to be. You know, (Mike Ulreich) has done a great job since he has taken over. It’s the same formula that I think a lot of us are trying to emulate: get as many guys to the football as you can and play solid defensively and don’t give up a big play. The topper this year is that they’ve been able to create turnovers and not only create turnovers but create them for scores.”
With the two programs having split their last four meetings, it’s obvious records can be thrown out when they meet each year.
But the ability to block out the inherent distractions the rivalry brings will prove vital.
“The team that can withstand that and (manage) the emotional highs and lows—that’s another thing that we’ve talked to our team about,” Stine said. “In every football game, there’s so (many) highs and lows and which team can (handle them) and I look at the highs and lows as a distraction, even in college and the NFL. So which team can handle the distractions?
“Could be a high distraction, could be a low (distraction) to get their focus back on the next play. That’s something we talk a lot (about). We’re a 1-0, next play mentality. We talk about that all the time with our kids. That’s a sign we have up: ‘1-0, 1-0.’ That’s going to happen in this game. When one play’s done, you got to go 1-0 on the next play. It’s going to be a fun (atmosphere). It’s going to be a great atmosphere.”
