Jordan's Road Trip Round 1: Naperville North Standouts

This game started off on a quick pace as Naperville North drives down the field with Nate Jacobs punching it into the endzone from 2 yards out giving them the lead 7-0 over Naperville Central with 7:45 left in the 1st Quarter. Naperville Central would respond with one heck of a throw by [player_tooltip player_id="155031" first="Owen" last="Prucha"] where he fits the ball right between two defenders for Tristen Hall to come away with the TD grab. This tied the score 7-7 with 2:59 left in the 1st Quarter. The remainder of the 1st Quarter, Naperville North was driving down the field and got into field goal position as the Quarter expired. To kickstart the 2nd Quarter, Naperville North lines up for a 21 yard Field Goal attempt and it’s good (Naperville North 10 Naperville Central 7) with 11:57 left in the 2nd Quarter. Naperville Central answers back with [player_tooltip player_id="196308" first="Tyler" last="Dodd"] keeping his feet driving to get into the endzone off a 4-yard run (Naperville Central 14 Naperville North 10) with 5:43 left in the 2nd Quarter. Naperville North would drive down the field as time was expiring and almost had a TD pass off an RPO but the receiver just wasn’t able to secure the catch in the endzone (End of 1st Half Naperville Central 14 Naperville North 10). Coming out of the half, it was a defensive battle on both sides with neither offense being able to put points on the board for the first 10 minutes of the 3rd Quarter. This would all change once the ball was put into [player_tooltip player_id="20879" first="Reggie" last="Fleurima"]’s hands off a punt returning it for a TD (Naperville Central 21 Naperville North 10) with 2:38 left in the 3rd Quarter. On the kickoff, [player_tooltip player_id="65737" first="Zeke" last="Williams"] receives the kickoff and sets up Naperville North in good starting field position where they drove down the field but weren’t able to capitalize. Fast forward to the 4th Quarter, [player_tooltip player_id="155031" first="Owen" last="Prucha"] gets into the endzone of a QB sneak with the help of his OL (Naperville Central 28 Naperville North 10) with 7:44 left in the 4th Quarter. Naperville North wouldn’t roll over though, they drove down the field and got into the endzone off [player_tooltip player_id="168918" first="Aidan" last="Gray"] QB sneak from 4 yards out (Naperville Central 28 Naperville North 16) with 4:24 left in the 4th Quarter. They would go for a two-point conversion and not get it. There was a chance for Naperville North to get the ball back on a crucial 4th down, instead of punting the ball Naperville Central opted to go for it. [player_tooltip player_id="155031" first="Owen" last="Prucha"] gets the carry and is in a foot race to his right to get the 5 yards needed for the first down, he’s being chased by two Naperville North defenders and dives right before being tackled on the play. He ends up getting the 1st down and seals the win for Naperville Central to advance into the next round of the playoffs. Hats off to both teams in this Rivalry Playoff Matchup. Final Score Naperville Central 28 Naperville North 16 <a href="https://youtu.be/J_BgDcQHtfo">Game Highlights</a> <hr /> #6 [player_tooltip player_id="65737" first="Zeke" last="Williams"] 6’1 180 22’ WR/DB <a href="https://twitter.com/zekewilliams121">Twitter</a> Mr. Williams makes defenders miss in open space once he secures the catch showcasing his elusiveness and accelerates quickly to get upfield once this is done. On the defensive side of the ball, he does a good job of staying with his man in coverage by staying on the receiver's hip pocket and making open-field tackles. Check out his game clips Below! https://twitter.com/PRZJordan/status/1454814623518056449?s=20 #7 David Jones 6’1 190 23’ DB <a href="https://twitter.com/drjones2005?lang=en">Twitter</a> Mr. Jones fills holes in run support by getting off blocks to make the tackle. He attacks downhill to make open-field tackles and covers ground quickly to cover sideline to sideline. You get an insight into this with his game clip Below! https://twitter.com/PRZJordan/status/1454558176620290053?s=20 #12 [player_tooltip player_id="168918" first="Aidan" last="Gray"] 6’3 190 23’ QB <a href="https://twitter.com/AidanGray05">Twitter</a> Mr. Gray can get the ball out quickly when running RPOs and in the quick game. When doing so, he can add zip onto the ball making level 1 throws. There's a play later in the game where he puts touch on the ball making a level 2 throw to his running back running a wheel route out of the backfield which set up Naperville North in scoring position. This young man can pull the ball down to scramble as well, once he does he keeps his feet driving to fight for extra yards. Go check out his game clips Below! https://twitter.com/PRZJordan/status/1454814314670530561?s=20 #24 David Olano 5’11 145 23’ K <a href="https://twitter.com/DavidOlano8">Twitter</a> Mr. Olano had multiple touchbacks that landed at the backline of the endzone throughout this game showcasing his leg strength. Upon kicking the ball, he has a good follow-through and keeps his balance controlling where the ball goes. He also hit a 21-yard Field Goal at the beginning of the 2nd Quarter. Check out his Touchback Below! https://twitter.com/PRZJordan/status/1454552082376237059?s=20 #25 Ethan Robert 5’10 195 22’ RB <a href="https://twitter.com/ethanrobert26">Twitter</a> Mr. Robert is a hard runner that has an initial burst through the line of scrimmage and has the ability to clear the 2nd level of defenders by weaving in/out of them. He keeps his feet driving to fight for extra yards and breaks arm tackles in the process. There were times where he was used as a lead blocker to seal the outside linebacker for his teammate. Check out his game clips Below! https://twitter.com/PRZJordan/status/1454813883735150595?s=20 #34 Jack Valle 6’0 155 22’ DB <a href="https://twitter.com/JackValle32">Twitter</a> Mr. Valle makes open-field tackles by attacking downhill, upon making the tackle he squares up to the defender. During a key 3rd down in pass coverage, this young man reads the eyes of the opposing quarterback to break on the ball resulting in a PBU. This forced Naperville Central to punt on 4th down as Naperville North would drive down the field swinging momentum to their side. Check out his PBU Below! https://twitter.com/PRZJordan/status/1454556466950590468?s=20 #77 Connor Hare 6’4 280 22’ OL <a href="https://twitter.com/connorhare15">Twitter</a> Mr. Hare gets hands-on quickly which he uses to drive the defensive lineman back by keeping his feet driving. This in turn creates running lanes that the ball carrier runs off of. During pass protection, he stays square to force the outside rush. #90 Lawson Grier 6’2 213 24’ DL <a href="https://twitter.com/Lawson10663245">Twitter</a> Mr. Grier has a quick 1st step during his pash rush, pair this with his use of hands at the point of attack, and that results in getting pressure on the quarterback. He also fills gaps in run support where he clogs up running lanes and gets off the block to make the tackle. Check out his QB pressure Below! https://twitter.com/PRZJordan/status/1454556104466345987?s=20 Notables #8 Eric Allen 5’8 180 22’ LB https://twitter.com/PRZJordan/status/1454559206560960512?s=20 #50 Matt Golminas 6’3 195 22’ DL <a href="https://twitter.com/Matt_Golminas">Twitter</a> #70 Vaughn Lindstrom 6’3 220 22’ DL <a href="https://twitter.com/LindstromVaughn">Twitter</a> Key Takeaways <ul> <li>Competes until the final whistle</li> <li>Going to be a team to keep an eye on next season, have 23' & 24's returning that already are impact players for this team</li> <li>Had opportunities in this game, just came up short - confident will use as motivation for next season</li> </ul> <hr /> Be sure to follow <a href="https://twitter.com/PRZJordan">@PRZJordan</a> regarding news & information for Illinois High School Football as well as <a href="https://twitter.com/prepredzoneIL">@PrepRedzoneIL</a>. Want to be ranked? 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