Naperville Central coach Mike Stine knew what to expect from Glenbard North.
Then for most of Friday night’s season opener, the Redhawks struggled in all phases. They couldn’t move the ball on offense and they couldn’t stop their opponent on defense.
The result was a 35-6 loss in Naperville.
“It didn’t go the way we wanted it,” Stine said. “We knew they were a great team. They’ve got four or five Division I players.”
Glenbard North (1-0), the favorite to win the DuPage Valley Conference, scored three touchdowns in the first half. The Panthers avenged a one-point loss to the Redhawks in last year’s season opener.
Behind the running of Vittorio Tricase, Glenbard North didn’t waste any time on the game’s opening possession, driving 65 yards in 15 plays. Tricase capped the march with a 1-yard TD run.
The Panthers then blocked a Redhawks’ punt on Naperville’s first possession, gaining a first down at Central’s 30. Five plays later, Tricase (30 carries, 94 yards, 3 TDs) ran across the goal line for a 14-0 lead with 1:11 left in the opening quarter.
“We anticipate every game being a dogfight,” Tricase said. “Once we started to pull away we took the juice out of them.”
The Panthers’ defense held Naperville Central to just 11 yards until late in the fourth quarter. Jace James picked off Patrick Ryan’s pass on the Redhawks’ second possession, returning it 19 yards to Naperville’s 26.
That led to a 15-yard TD pass from Shane Conway to James for a 21-0 lead early in the second quarter. Tricase added another 1-yard scoring run in the third, followed by Isaiah Hawkins’ 58-yard sprint to the end zone before the end of the quarter, making it 35-0.
“We didn’t have an answer for them,” Stine said. “We’re going to have to go back to the drawing board, we have to make some adjustments. We’ll try to figure out some things we can do to get better. I know these guys will work hard.”
It wasn’t until the fourth that the Redhawks (0-1) got going offensively.
Naperville Central achieved its initial first down besides a penalty early in the fourth. AJ Deinhart (17 carries, 72 yards) ran eight times for 70 yards on the drive, including a 6-yard TD. The extra-point was blocked.
Bob Hurst is a freelance writer for the Naperville Sun.
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