By Kevin Schmit Daily Herald Sports Writer
Posted on November 12, 2000
Naperville Central's run.
From about two miles away, that team came
calling on the Redhawks Saturday afternoon.
Naperville North added the latest rousing chapter
to the crosstown rivalry by topping top-seeded
Naperville Central 36-33 in the Class 6A
quarterfinals in front of 6,000 fans at Memorial
Stadium.
The Huskies (11-1) advance to the semifinals for a sixth time, while defending
6A state champion Naperville Central's 25-game winning streak comes to an
end.
Daily Herald photo/Ed Lee
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Ninth-seeded Naperville North will play No. 29 Glenbard North (9-3), a 28-21
winner over No. 5 Plainfield, in next weekend's game at Harshbarger-Welzel
Field with a state title berth on the line.
For the fourth time in six playoff meetings with Naperville Central (11-1), all at
Memorial Stadium, the Huskies pulled out the victory.
"We have a new personality in the playoffs," said Huskies quarterback Jay
McCareins, whose team lost 31-14 to Naperville Central on Oct. 13.
"The playoffs are Huskies time."
The Redhawks didn't go down without a fight, rallying from a 29-11
third-quarter deficit to take a 33-29 lead with 4:47 left on Kyle Griffith's (12
carries, 48 yards) 27-yard touchdown run.
Giving up 22 straight points put the Huskies on their heels, but they didn't falter.
They marched 76 yards in 10 plays, nine rushing, and capped the drive with
junior Steve Sarm's 18-yard touchdown run with 1:12 remaining.
Chris Cahill's extra point gave the Huskies a 36-33 lead, but it looked like the
Redhawks would get one last chance.
Naperville North's pooch kick, however, was fumbled by the Redhawks and
recovered by the Huskies' Jeff Hartman.
The Huskies ran out the final minute, celebrating the win as their fans flooded the
field.
"I guess it's 25-and-1 now," Redhawks linebacker Drew Kocsis said of the
Redhawks' ended winning streak. "They played a lot better than they did the
first time."
With Bill Jurjovec (8 carries, 37 yards) and Kevin Hahn (19-95) healthy and
again at full strength, and with Sarm (13-109) running wild, the Huskies rushed
for 319 yards. The trio and McCareins (8 of 13, 95 yards) each rushed for a
touchdown.
"We just executed real well," said Sarm, who caught a 31-yard touchdown
catch from McCareins. "It was amazing. Three good running backs and a
quarterback who's impossible to touch when he's scrambling."
The first half was a complete reversal from the first meeting when the Redhawks
scored 3 second-quarter touchdowns to take a 21-0 halftime lead.
This time, Naperville North's defense stymied the Redhawks to minus-10
first-half rushing yards. The Huskies led 22-3 late in the half before Redhawks
quarterback Phil Horvath (11 of 22, 181 yards) hit Dan Prazak with a 77-yard
touchdown pass to make it a 22-11 game at the half.
Aside from that pass play, Naperville Central managed just 7 total yards in the
first half.
"The first time we played them, we came out flat - that was a total mistake," said
Huskies junior Peter Hwang. "We felt we had this game from the beginning."
McCareins' 1-yard touchdown dive in the third quarter boosted the Huskies'
lead to 29-11 before Naperville Central began its near-miraculous comeback.
"It was a pretty good game," said Redhawks coach Joe Bunge. "We were just
having problems stopping them the whole time."