Naperville North coach Sean Drendel wasn’t keeping count of senior quarterback Drake Davis’ touchdown total Friday night.
He just knew Davis had a lot — six to be exact, five through the air and one rushing. It helped the Huskies cruise to a 56-37 victory over host Metea Valley.
“I’m not surprised with anything Drake Davis does,” Drendel said. “There’s plays where it looks like he’s going to scramble for a 5-yard gain and he throws a 40-yard strike for a touchdown … He’s just a special kid.”
After both teams opened the game with a pair of three-and-outs, Davis put Naperville North (2-0) on the board at the 6:40 mark of the first quarter when he found Ryan Laurenzo for an 8-yard TD.
Davis ended up completing 13 of 20 passes for 264 yards. He also rushed eight times for 93 yards.
Both teams traded TDs in the first half. No longer content to hold on to the slim lead, the Huskies went on the attack. A 46-yard TD pass from Davis to Jack Hinkle shifted momentum as North took a 35-17 lead into halftime.
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“My wide receivers were just getting open,” Davis said. “Our line blocked well. That’s really all it was. The team did great.”
Metea (0-2) scored just one TD during a Week 1 loss to Neuqua Valley, but quarterback Garrett Despot looked more composed vs. North. He completed 21 of 31 passes for 244 yards and four TDs. He also rushed for a TD.
Still, the Mustangs were unable to keep up with North’s high-powered offense. The Huskies totaled 524 yards to Metea’s 365. North’s Nick Calcagno led all receivers with two catches — both TDs —for 103 yards.
Ryan Robinson anchored the Huskies’ defense with eight tackles, while Garrett Ruden and Amarian Wilborn each had six for Metea.
“It’s just another week under our belt, we got better and improved,” Metea Valley coach Ben Kleinhans said. “We’ve got to continue to do that. We got in better rhythm … And we’ve got to have better execution.”
Metea’s Bryce Effner did not play for a second straight game. His absence was clearly felt on the Mustangs’ offensive line as Naperville North’s defense sacked Despot five times.
Effner, a 6-foot-5, 285-pounder who’s committed to Penn State, is “day-to-day, week-to-week” with an illness, according to Kleinhans.
Drendel, meanwhile, wasn’t surprised Naperville North has now scored 109 points in two games.
“We have a lot of talent on offense,” he said. “We’re going to score a lot of points, I think. It’s going to be a tough week for everyone against our offense. Defensively, we’ve got to get better.”
Josh Tolentino is a freelance writer for the Naperville Sun.