Naperville North (1-7, 1-6 DuPage Valley) @ Wheaton Warrenville South (2-6, 1-6 DuPage Valley), 7:30 p.m.
Last week: Naperville North beat Waubonsie Valley, 25-24 (OT); Wheaton Warrenville South won at West Chicago, 48-20
Storyline: With a thrilling overtime victory over Waubonsie Valley serving as momentum, Naperville North closes out its 2015 season in Wheaton looking to go out on a winning streak.
Luke Cegles’ second TD pass to Mitch Lewis and ensuing two-point conversion to Grant Erickson in overtime helped the Huskies upset Waubonsie Valley, 25-24, to end their 14-game losing streak dating back to last year.
A week after throwing for a season-high 159 yards in a loss to Naperville Central, Cegles showed more improvement in throwing for 129 yards and three touchdowns against the Warriors while Eric Wright ran for 134 yards.
While the Huskies are coming off their first victory of the year, Wheaton Warrenville South also comes into the final week of its season with some momentum.
The Tigers tallied a season-high 48 points a week ago in jumping all over West Chicago in snapping a six-game losing streak.
A 21-point first quarter got the Tigers’ offense going as the 48 points marked a sharp contrast to the 57 points they had scored combined in the season’s first seven weeks.
Wheaton Warrenville South quarterback Michael Stebbins returned after missing five weeks with a broken collarbone and threw two first-half touchdown passes to Nick Howell before breaking his collarbone yet again in the second quarter.
J.J. Johnson ran for and caught a touchdown during the 21-point opening quarter for Wheaton Warrenville South against the Wildcats, an old DuPage Valley Conference foe.
The Tigers will be on the postseason sidelines for the first time since 2012 and for the second time since 2008 while the Huskies aren’t headed for the postseason in consecutive years for the first time since 1984 and 1985.
Naperville North coach Sean Drendel on Wheaton Warrenville South: “Obviously, their running game is really good with the quarterback and Johnson and (Owen) English, both running backs, are outstanding. So getting Johnson back definitely helps, but the other kid is doing a pretty good job, too. So – against Wheaton South – you’ve always got to stop the run first, try to get them to pass.”
“They’re traditionally one of the best defenses around and I don’t see any difference. They got two defensive ends who are outstanding. Their middle linebacker is a good, hard-nosed player and they always have DBs who can make plays. So any time you’re going up against a Wheaton South defense, you better be ready. They’re going to be very sound and they’re not going to give you any freebies.”
