Heads or tails?
10/05/01
Naperville Central, North look to uneven series in 33rd matchup

By Brad Engel
STAFF WRITER

 Flip a coin — Naperville Central heads, Naperville North tails.

   That's the easiest and safest way to predict the outcome of the 32nd cross-town clash between Central and North, perennial headliners of the DuPage Valley Conference. Renamed the Wes Spencer Crosstown Classic after 32 city matchups — six in the playoffs — the most notable Illinois regular-season game will reach yet another height Friday at North Central College in Naperville.

   Since 1975 the Redhawks and the Huskies have each won 16 games, sometimes upsets, sometimes slaughters and more often than not nail-biters. Central enters the game a perfect 6-0 through six weeks, and North (4-2 overall, 2-2 DVC) aims to rebound from consecutive losses to Glenbard North and Wheaton Warrenville South.

   "It's still North you know," said Central senior wide receiver Tyke Spencer, whose grandfather Wes Spencer coached at Naperville Community High School from 1952 to 1969. "They'll come out gunning, especially after they lost two in a row. Nobody expected them to lose either one of those games. They'll come out fired up and so will we. It will be a battle."

   Either way the coin lands, there's a chance to win. Heads? Here's why Central will win.

   Nobody has published the book revealing the sure-fire defense to stop Central quarterback Phil Horvath (1,033 yards, 14 touchdowns), or secured the patented offense to break down Central's senior secondary crew of free safety Brad Matthews (three interceptions), safety Bob Siciliano (one interception) and cornerbacks Josh Rubin (four interceptions) and A.J. Sagen. Add the linebacking crew of seniors Mike Lucas (one interception) and Nick Ehrlich with a couple of players in between and Central has forced 18 turnovers, averaging three per game.

   On the offensive side, Horvath will work without senior tailback Kyle Griffith, who suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament against Glenbard North last week after gaining 623 yards through the first six weeks of the regular season. Senior fullback Jason Paquette will help offset the duties of backup junior tailback Joel Barenbrugge, who has rushed for only 74 yards in limited playing time.

   "I don't know if they can really stop our passing game," said Horvath, who will look to Spencer (18 catches, 350 yards), and junior wide receiver Dan Passarelli (17 catches, 394 yards), both ranked among the top three area receivers.

   Paquette said in practice Wednesday that the Redhawks have changed their offense to accommodate the inexperience but to expect the running game to play a significant role.

   Tails? Here's why North will win.

   Nobody has stopped senior fullback Steve Sarm, who scored the game-winning touchdown against Central in the state quarterfinals last season at Memorial Stadium and temporarily evened the all-time series. Sarm (88 carries, 823 yards) averages 9.4 yards per carry and has breakaway ability. It gets even more exciting when the Huskies fake to Sarm and give to junior halfbacks Mike Costantino (66 carries, 594 yards) and Corey McKeon (42 carries, 328 yards).

   If the run fails, the pass still exists despite senior quarterback Rob Slette's last two games (6-of-21, 35 yards).

   "It's really frustrating with our passing game lately," Sarm said. "You can't just blame one person. Everyone's at fault. I went out a couple games ago and dropped a pass, there were receivers dropping passes in their hands, the line not always getting Slette time and I'm sure Slette didn't hit all of his passes either."

   The pass works when Slette not only looks downfield to seniors Kyle Morgan and Jeff Powell, but when Slette throws short to his backfield, hitting seams for long gains. The Huskies average 75.8 yards passing per game but 299 yards on the ground, giving them a whopping average of 375 yards of offense per game.

   The Huskies defense, despite what some regard as permeable, actually posted its best game of the year against Glenbard North in their first loss of the season — best in terms of points and yards allowed, and if you ignore their 49-7 victory versus Palatine in Week 1.

   Those are just a few of the numbers, the only practical evidence for basing an argument on who will win the cross-town game. The implications? A loss for North forces the Huskies to win the remaining two games against West Aurora (1-5, 0-4 DVC) and Glenbard East (3-3, 2-2 DVC) in order to guarantee a playoff berth with a 6-3 record. A North loss also makes Central a sure favorite for the DVC title and undefeated regular season.

   If Central loses, it's a heartbreak, but games with Glenbard East and West Chicago (3-3, 1-3) shouldn't stand in the way of the conference championship and high playoff seed.

   So, flip the coin, and remember, tails never fails.

   Or does it?
 

DUPAGE VALLEY CONFERENCE Conference Overall TEAM W L W L Naperville Central 4 0 6 0 factbox text gray: Wheaton Warrenville South 3 1 4 2 Glenbard North 2 2 4 2 factbox text gray: Wheaton North 2 2 4 2 Naperville North 2 2 4 2 factbox text gray: Glenbard East 2 2 3 3 West Chicago 1 3 3 3 factbox text gray: West Aurora 0 4 1 5

 

10/05/01
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