Junior running back Charlie Neumann takes a lot of pride in wearing a Naperville North jersey.
It had been his dream ever since he began attending Huskies games nearly a decade ago.
“I’ve lived here my whole life, so since second grade, third grade, just to see the guys and turning into one of them is an amazing feeling,” Neumann said. “It’s awesome.”
Neumann’s aspirations were particularly specific. He wanted to tote the rock.
“Ever since I was a kid, I’ve wanted to be the varsity guy scoring touchdowns on Friday night,” he said.
The 5-foot-9, 175-pound Neumann isn’t “the” guy this season, but he’s one of them. The Huskies have used a four-man committee consisting of Neumann, senior Brendon Wickert, junior Jayke Collins and sophomore Victor Tyson.
“We kind of have a 3-2-2 rotation,” Naperville North coach Sean Drendel said. “They go in when it’s their touch, and they get it done.”
Collins was getting the job done early in the season before he was sidelined with a broken collarbone. He still leads the team with 480 rushing yards, while Tyson has 387.
But Neumann had a team-high nine carries, one more than Tyson, during the Huskies’ 14-7 win over Neuqua Valley in Week 8, while Wickert’s five carries included a 26-yard run.
Neumann scored the game-winning touchdown on an 8-yard run with 43 seconds left in the fourth quarter. It was his second score of the season.
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“He and Brandon Wickert, they ran the ball really tough, and they did what we needed,” Drendel said. “Obviously, Charlie got the finishing touchdown, but other than that, we did a lot of good stuff.”
Neumann, who finished with 32 rushing yards and has 125 yards on 24 carries this season, was honored to get the call on the decisive play, in which he followed junior guard Craig Prentice’s block into the end zone.
“It meant everything, scoring and bringing the team up,” Neumann said. “Being the one that brings it up is really cool, but also knowing that I trust my brothers, Craig pulling, letting me in the end zone, it’s a great feeling.”
While the Huskies (7-1, 5-0) do not have a dominant rusher, the committee approach is working. Tyson is averaging 7.3 yards per carry, while Wickert is at 6.1, Collins at 5.6 and Neumann at 5.2
“It’s great chemistry,” Neumann said. “I love all these guys.
“I know whatever running back is on that field, I have full trust in them. Great things coming with the boys.”
By beating Neuqua Valley, the Huskies won their seventh straight game, capped an unbeaten run to the DuPage Valley Conference title and have a good chance at an opening-round bye in the playoffs. The victory wasn’t pretty, more old-school smashmouth football for which the program is known.
“We’re a very physical team,” Neumann said. “The offense is being able to keep moving forward —next-play mentality — and it’s always a family.
“That’s what it comes down to, just trusting each other, and it’s not just on offense. When I’m out there after an offensive possession, I know the defense is going to get us that ball back and we’re going to go up and score.”
A lot of unseen effort goes into producing those wins, but Neumann and his teammates are willing to do what it takes.
“It’s so much work,” he said. “But after all the work — the morning lifts, the two-a-days, the bonding with my brothers outside of it at the gym — it all comes down to where we are now, 5-0 undefeated in the DVC. All that blood, sweat and tears is so worth it.”
The guys who score the touchdowns get most of the glory, of course. That’s one reason why Neumann became a running back. But he knows that doesn’t happen in a vacuum.
“As a running back, I think the O-linemen deserve all the credit,” he said. “I love my boys, all five of them.
“I owe it all to them. I wouldn’t be anywhere — scoring, getting interviews — without my O-lineman.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter.