Mlady, Huskies race past Simeon

Font Size

Email

Bookmark

Black Text

White Text

Naperville North running back Nick Mlady said the game plan was pretty simple heading into his team’s Class 8A opener versus Simeon.

“Our bread and butter all season has been running the football, and that’s what we wanted to do right from the start tonight,” said Mlady, who ran for 93 yards and two scores on only six carries to help lead North to a convincing 42-16 victory.

“Our offensive line is absolutely amazing. On one touchdown, I wasn’t even touched.”

The No. 2 Huskies (10-0) ended the suspense early, with Mlady scampering 35 yards for a touchdown just 90 seconds into the game.

North would go on to score touchdowns on five of its next six first half possessions. Fullback Jack Roberts caught one touchdown pass and ran for another, while Pat Waite and Matt Manade each had scores on the ground.

“We have three all-conference linemen, and running behind them makes everyone’s job pretty easy,” Roberts said about the group that includes Alex Helms, Ben Green, Jake Baratz, Dan Easley and James Fissinger.

“It’s fun to run the ball successfully, especially when the other team knows exactly what you’re going to do.”

After seeing Wheaton South get upset the previous night, North made sure the DuPage Valley Conference would still have at least one heavyweight left standing. Actually, the Huskies were the only first-round winner out of the five DVC teams that qualified for the postseason.

“That may have been in the back of some of their minds (seeing South lose), but we didn’t say a word about it before the game,” North coach Larry McKeon said. “We wanted to get off to a quick start, which we did, and I thought the kids did a great job of staying focused and coming ready to play.”

In the first-half, the Huskies defense limited Simeon (6-4) to four first downs. Linebacker Nick Liftka made a fourth down stop to set up North’s third touchdown, and Danny Sagen had an interception that led to another score.

“Everyone plays for everyone,” Mlady said. “This is a very complete team in all three phases, and we’re always picking each other up.”

Winners of 15 straight games dating back to last year’s playoffs, the Huskies advance to take on seventh-seeded Marist next Friday night.

“What we did last year is history,” McKeon said about his team’s march last season to its first state title since 1992. “This is a lot different team, and we don’t worry about comparing ourselves to last year.”

Simeon, making its first appearance in Class 8A, got late touchdown runs of 72 and 59 yards from sophomore Horacio Banks.