Game Recap: Downers Grove South vs. Downers Grove North

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It was a beautiful night in Downers Grove as the evening saw cross-town rivals clash: The Trojans of the North competing against the South's Mustangs. The Mustangs and Trojans came into this contest on opposite sides of the aisle, with the team from the South coming into this game with a winless record after two games and the Trojans of the North coming in with an undefeated record. In addition to the bragging rights for the Village of Downers Grove, these two teams were fighting for their records, which was evident throughout the night.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The first quarter got underway beneath the Friday night lights, and all signs pointed to this being a fierce defensive battle type of game. The ball was going back and forth between the Mustangs and trojans with missed field goals and three and outs, which made it seem as if there wasn't going to be any scoring in this game. Then, with 5:21 left in the 2nd quarter, [player_tooltip player_id='252513' first='Noah' last='Battle'] of Downers Grove North punched the ball into the end zone to take a 6-0 lead. Following a successful PAT attempt and further defensive battles, the half ended at 7-0 with the Trojans in the lead.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>As the second half began, it briefly seemed that this battle between the Trojans and the Mustangs would continue to be a defensive one, but that sentiment would not last for long. The Mustangs of Downers grove South struck first in the second half with a beautiful pass from quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='157699' first='Ryan' last='Dawson'] to his big receiver, [player_tooltip player_id='267885' first='Brandon' last='Amaniampong']. However, it seemed we might start to see a shootout as DGN quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='252515' first='Sam' last='Reichert'] threw a strike down the middle of the field to Trojan receiver [player_tooltip player_id='157994' first='Ethan' last='Thulin'] for the quick response and six points. The mustangs would receive the ball after the kickoff, and on the proceeding play, Mac O'Halloran would reel in the longest pass of the night from [player_tooltip player_id='157699' first='Ryan' last='Dawson'] and take it 64 yards downfield to the Trojan 15-yard line. However, the progress would stop there as the Trojans forced a turnover on the next play and never looked back. The mental mistakes started piling on for the Mustang defense, and the Trojan offense took advantage, cumulating with a 35-yard touchdown run from [player_tooltip player_id='252513' first='Noah' last='Battle']. The Trojans never looked back and took complete control of the game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>What started as a defensive battle for the bragging rights of Downers Grove ended with a 27-7 win for the Trojans of the North. This game saw many young men playing hard for their respective teams, and the team from the North would leave the contest with the rights to the city.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->