Huskies not lacking for motivation

Naperville North running back Pat Waite (5) runs with the ball while Naperville Central's Alex Schaefer (41) chases him down.
(Danielle Gardner/Naperville Sun)

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There is no question that Naperville North has six returning starters who want to avenge the Huskies' second-round playoff exit of a year ago.

But there is a question about coach Larry McKeon and whether he will retire.

''I'll make a decision at the end of the year,'' McKeon said. ''I have nothing to announce.''

McKeon has been at North for 27 years and has won two state titles.

If this is McKeon's final season, the Huskies hope to go out with a bang, not a whimper. North's 2008 season ended in the second round of the Class 8A playoffs with a 28-25 overtime loss to Marist. Just when it seemed as if North had it put away, Marist rallied to take the lead and eventually the ballgame. North finished 10-1.

''If we mentally finish teams, I think that will be our key,'' linebacker Jack Krejci said. ''Last year we could have [beaten Marist] and we had a good chance of finishing, but we let them back in the game and everything went down the drain.''

All three starting linebackers return in Krejci, senior Arnas Gintautas and junior Nick Lifka, making for a strong defensive core. Also back are defensive lineman Blex Vixama, offensive lineman Dan Easley, and wide receiver James O'Shaughnessy.

But replacing running back Nick Mlady, who had 1,295 yards and will play at Cornell, will be difficult. Idris Hanidu was Mlady's backup and will start. Even though Hanidu is small (5-6, 185 pounds), he has squatted more than 500 pounds and is quite strong.

''It's always harder to replace someone like [Mlady],'' senior center Nolan Randall said. ''We're switching to more of a passing offense, and we have [quarterback] Matt LaCosse returning. He's solid.''

LaCosse, a 6-6, 210-pound junior, started two games last season when Matt Manade was hurt.

''We're going to be young in the fact that there's a lot of people who haven't been on the field before,'' senior running back/free safety Jon Ryan said. ''But in the same breath we should be experienced, because we've gone through the program all four years and we have a lot of seniors playing.''