Simply put, Naperville North is going back to what it knows well and what it knows works well.
Following the program losing its last seven games last year, missing out on postseason play for the first time since 1996, Naperville North is returning to the double-wing.
That decision alone could be reason enough for the Huskies to be optimistic that their 2-7 season from 2014 was indeed an aberration.
A pair of juniors, Luke Cegles and Dylan Fadden, along with senior Vic Slopecki are competing to win the quarterback job following a year that saw Chris Gajcak and Evan Kujawski split time.
“They all do different things and they all add value to our team,” Huskies’ coach Sean Drendel said of his three QBs. “What impresses me is that they’re willing to compete and they’re still good friends. That’s what impresses me and that’s only going to make us better.”
Whereas Slopecki has shown off a strong arm during the offseason and Fadden is more of a threat with his legs, Cegles may have the leg up in the competition as he has provides a little of both.
“They’ve all been steady throughout the summer, so it’s a good problem to have,” Naperville North defensive coordinator Anthony Silvestri said.
Senior running back Mikey Caldarrazo is the team’s leading returning rusher with 220 yards and three TDs while the Huskies’ top five receivers from last year have graduated.
Caldarrazo is the team’s leading returning receiver, as well, with five receptions for 38 yards.
“Offensively, I think that’s one of our biggest strengths–our running backs,” Silvestri said. “Not only Mikey but a guy like Cross Robinson, Eric Wright, Matt Montgomery, Anthony Porfilio. All those guys, they’re not big in stature. But they’re quick, they’re fast and they’re very agile.”
Robinson, Wright and Montgomery are all juniors and were part of the Huskies’ sophomore team that went 7-2 last year.
With designs of making amends for the program’s lowest victory total since 1982, the junior class is collectively bringing a sense of renewed energy.
“There’s 40 of them that are pretty darn good,” Drendel said of the junior class that went 7-2 as sophomores in 2014. “They run well. They work hard, so they’re putting competition on everyone. Even the guys who are returning starters have competition, so that just makes your team better. People got to compete. People got to work. So we like that group a lot and they’re doing a lot of good things.”
Drendel instituted a spread offense upon taking over the reins of the program from Larry McKeon prior to the 2010 season.
Since the program won the 2007 Class 8A state title, the program has been past the second round of the Class 8A playoffs just once.
Matt LaCosse and Nick Lifka helped lead the Huskies to an eight-win season and a state quarterfinal trip in 2010.
The return to the double-wing, which paved the way for the program’s two state titles in 1992 and 2007 and 12 10-win seasons, is an aim at jumpstarting an offense that averaged 5.75 points during the last four games of 2014.
“It worked for all those years,” Silvestri said of the double-wing. “We kind of changed a little bit with the times. We found that our personnel didn’t fit that scheme. So we went back to what we know well and what we know works for us.”
Defensively, defensive lineman Tom Rizzi and middle linebacker Jack Hamman are back to help lead Silvestri’s unit.
Because of either graduation or transfer, five of the six leading tacklers from the defense last year are gone.
Rizzi and Hamman will be asked to improve on their 27 and 23 tackles, respectively.
“Tom’s a fairly quiet kid, so I’d say Jack Hamman’s more of our leader,” Drendel said. “(Hamman’s) our middle linebacker and generally middle linebackers are leaders. Tom’s a quiet kid. He leads by example. Does a great job with that, but he’s more of a quiet kid. Jack’s a little bit more vocal.”
The addition of the three District 204 schools into the DuPage Valley Conference is obviously a huge storyline.
After its season opener with Sandburg, Naperville North will conclude the year with eight straight games inside the conference.
“I just think, if you make the playoffs, you got a good shot to make a good run,” Drendel said. “That’s the goal of every team: to make a run and whether that’s quarterfinals, whatever it is—you want to put yourself in a position to compete for a trophy. That’s what we all want to do.”
