Second chance

November 10, 2000

Somehow you knew it would happen again.

The Battle of Naperville II means another overflow crowd, traffic jams in this fanatic football community, too much pomp and circumstance and not enough parking spaces.

This time the setting is Memorial Stadium at Naperville Central and not Cardinal Stadium on the campus of North Central College, meaning a standing-room crowd of 10,000 instead of the 15,000-plus of four weeks ago.

That means Central Athletic Director Marty Bee will begin his workday at 6 a.m. Saturday with volunteer workers showing up two hours later in preparation for the 1 p.m. kickoff.

Naperville Central (11-0) enters this Class 6A quarterfinal showdown without Wisconsin-bound quarterback Owen Daniels and two of its best linebackers—Ryan Amberson and Luke Summers—while Naperville North (10-1) regains the services of its top two running backs, Bill Jurjovec and Kevin Hahn.

Last time Central junior quarterback Phil Horvath completed 11-of-17 passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns and junior running back Kyle Griffith ran for two TDs in a 31-14 victory.

This time somebody's season will be over.

"This is sudden death," said Naperville North coach Larry McKeon. "There's a lot more at stake than in Week 8. This is for real.

"It's also a rare opportunity for us. Not only do we get a chance to play the No. 1-ranked team twice in one season, but we get another chance at the only team that beat us."

After opening the season with six straight shutouts and consistently forcing quality teams to endure a running clock in the second half because of a 40-point deficit, defending state champion Naperville Central has lost that aura of invincibility.

Last week the Redhawks needed a late 70-yard drive and a Horvath 1-yard sneak with 1 minute 10 seconds left to defeat New Trier 22-17.

"I'm pretty sure our game film was the first one Naperville North asked for," said New Trier coach Dan Mortier. "We simply ran straight at them and picked them apart underneath with short passes. We used misdirection to take advantage of their defensive aggressiveness.

"Two things you never want to do against Central's defense: Don't run sideways and don't trap with your guards. They will eat you alive."

The Redhawks' defense is predicated upon preventing big plays and allowing progress in small increments.

"You can score on us if you can run 10 good plays in a row," said Central coach Joe Bunge. "There aren't many high school teams that can do that."

On Saturday, Naperville North will have five playmakers in its double-wing attack: Jurjovec, Hahn, elusive quarterback Jay McCareins, fullback Steve Sarm and receiver Andrew Gordon.

"I don't know if last week was a case of Central playing bad so much as [the fact that] New Trier really came on at the end of the season," McKeon said. "It will help having Jurjovec and Hahn healthy. Billy was our leading rusher and receiver before the injury (cracked fibula).

"Jurjovec and Hahn give us the confidence to do things that we avoided last time. The only team that has run the ball against them is Glenbard North with Brian Mitchell (DuPage Valley offensive player of the year). I know they lost Amberson and Summers, but one of the replacements [junior Mike Lucas] is 6 feet 2 inches, 225 pounds and the other guy [junior Matt Benson] is 6-3. They are just as big and strong as ever."

Look for defensive linemen Chris Hill (6-3, 255), Ken Kottke (6-1, 230) and conference defensive player of the year Joe Alvarez (6-3, 245) to compensate for the absence of Amberson and Summers.

"I didn't play in the first game because of a sprained ankle, so just like Jurjovec, this is a second chance for me," Alvarez said. "I remember hearing talk from people at North during our six shutouts that they didn't think they could stay with us. Now, with our injuries and how New Trier played us, they're saying they can beat us.

"I think we underestimated New Trier. We thought: 'We're the champion of the DVC and these guys can't hang with us.' Even though we knew better, saying it and doing it are two different things."

Nonetheless, Alvarez set a defiant tone for his teammates.

"Sure, the injuries are taking their toll, and you can see it on the field," he said. "But we should be the team that comes out of our bracket because we've been there before. That's why we pulled it out against New Trier.

"I'm surrounded on defense by some talented teammates. I don't think there's an offense out there in 6A that's better than us. I don't think any offense can score on us unless we mess up."

Copyright 2000 The Chicago Tribune