Huskies finally clear the postseason hurdle
Naperville North has its first football playoff victory since 2010, ending a postseason drought that had stretched beyond 15 years. The Huskies, coming off a 7-2 regular season and an undefeated conference record, outlasted Fremd in a game that repeatedly changed direction on the scoreboard.
Naperville North entered the postseason as the DVC champion and received a bye in the opening round. That gave the Huskies additional time before returning home to face a Fremd team that had already made a statement in the playoffs by defeating Taft 42-12. The matchup quickly developed into a contest of explosive plays, difficult decisions and momentum swings rather than a one-sided continuation of either team’s regular season.
| Naperville North marker | Result |
|---|---|
| Regular season | 7-2 |
| Conference record | Undefeated |
| Opening playoff status | Bye |
| Postseason milestone | First win since 2010 |
A game built on momentum swings
Fremd opened the scoring with a field goal after its first drive stalled. Naperville North answered by moving into the red zone, where wide receiver Hudson Glass took the snap and handed the ball to tailback Brendon Wickert. Wickert broke a tackle and carried a defender with him into the end zone, putting the Huskies ahead 7-3.
The lead did not last long. On the ensuing kickoff, Fremd’s Kale Peterson caught the ball at the 1-yard line and raced 99 yards for a touchdown, restoring the Vikings’ advantage at 10-7 entering the second quarter. Naperville North later got a touchdown run from Jayke Collins, but Fremd answered before halftime when junior quarterback Will Clark kept the ball on an option play and crossed the goal line.
“Advantage Fremd 17-14 at the break.”
The halftime score captured the character of the game: neither side could hold control for long. Fremd carried a 17-14 lead into the break, but Naperville North quickly reclaimed the advantage after intermission. Collins broke free for a 70-yard touchdown just 1 minute, 20 seconds into the second half, giving him two scoring runs in his return from a broken collarbone.
Key plays kept the pressure on
Collins had missed most of the regular season, making his immediate impact one of the defining developments of the game. His return added another dimension to a Huskies offense that had already produced an early touchdown through Wickert and remained capable of flipping field position with one play.
Fremd responded again. From the 24-yard line, Clark rolled to his right under pressure, kept his eyes downfield and found junior wide receiver MJ Castelloni for a touchdown. The score moved the Vikings back in front, continuing a sequence in which each team answered the other’s biggest moments.
For Naperville North, the importance of the result extends beyond a single playoff bracket. The Huskies began the season with a strong conference showing, earned the league championship and then converted that regular-season success into the program’s first postseason win in more than a decade. The victory also gives the team a chance to continue a playoff run that, before this weekend, had been defined by the length of its drought.
- Naperville North finished 7-2 in the regular season.
- The Huskies went undefeated in conference play and won the DVC title.
- Jayke Collins scored twice in his return from a broken collarbone.
- The win was Naperville North’s first playoff victory since 2010.
Fremd’s strong opening-round performance and its ability to answer Naperville North repeatedly made the Huskies’ breakthrough especially significant. After waiting through a bye and navigating a back-and-forth game at home, Naperville North finally has the postseason result its regular-season résumé demanded: an IHSA playoff win and a place in the next stage of the bracket.
