Naperville North makes no secret about to what it likes to do: Run.
The Huskies ran away with a 27-14 victory Friday against Marist in a Class 8A opener in Chicago, avenging a 28-25 loss to the RedHawks in the 2008 playoffs.
“We wanted to do this for the ’08 team, and I know some of them were here tonight,” said Naperville North quarterback Matt LaCosse, who had 91 of his team’s 238 rushing yards. “I am excited about playing York; we love playing No. 1 seeds.”
The Huskies forced two turnovers, controlled the clock and took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. Alex Kinne scored from 8 yards to cap a drive that took just over six minutes off of the clock.
Anthony Panagos’ interception at Marist’s 26-yard line set up Antonio Owens’ 12-yard touchdown run with 2 minutes, 56 seconds left in the first.
The Huskies (7-3) added another score with 3:57 left in the half on a 1-yard run by Boston College-bound Nick Lifka, a linebacker who is used as a fullback in short yardage situations. The run came two plays after a 30-yard run by Owens.
The RedHawks drove to the 5-yard line on the final drive of the half, but ran out of time and trailed 21-0 at the break. They had another good scoring chance late in the fourth quarter but fumbled at the 10-yard line.
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“We haven’t played well offensively in the first quarter all year,” Naperville North coach Sean Drendel said. “Our kids played really hard and our defense gave us some great opportunities.”
The RedHawks (6-4) scored twice in the fourth on a pair of 9-yard TD passes to Mike Skalitzky from Luke Oosterbaan.
Player of the game:
Matt LaCosse, Naperville North, 16 carries, 91 yards.
Key performers:
Marist — Mike Skalitzky, 3 catches, 33 yards, 2 TDs; Luke Oosterbaan, 23-32, 186 yards, 2 TDs. Naperville North — Anthony Panagos, INT; Antonio Owens, 9 carries, 81 yards, TD.
Next:
Naperville North vs. York.