What a ride for North Stars

MOLINE -- In a season that included an 0-2 start and 45-0 and 36-6 losses, but then a thrilling victory over St. Charles East and a 5-1 streak that put the North Stars in the playoffs for the sixth straight year, you can't be blamed if you had a hard time figuring out St. Charles North.

Heck, even their coach couldn't.

"It was a roller coaster type year," North Stars coach Mark Gould said. "These guys are an emotional group. They get real high, and unfortunately sometimes they get a little bit low and it's tough to find that happy medium."

True to form, St. Charles North road that roller coaster all the way to the end of their season. The North Stars showed both the good and the bad in a 14-7 loss to Moline.

"What we were looking for today was come out and play with a lot of emotion," Gould said. "It was an enjoyable group to coach but certainly you rode that roller coaster with them. They made you work."

It might not be much consolation to a group of seniors who had tears in their eyes leaving Browning Field in Moline, but the North Stars went out the way you want to, leaving everything on the field.

Moline entered the game with an 8-1 record and a No. 2 seed in the Class 7A playoffs, but the North Stars showed records and seeds don't mean much.

They played right with the Maroons for 48 minutes. They had their chance to win in a tension-filled fourth quarter before some of the same mistakes that made it an inconsistent season caught up with St. Charles North again. Moline took advantage of a short field to score the winning touchdown with just 2:14 remaining.

That didn't change Gould's pleasure with his team's effort. He told his team after the game how proud he was of them and to never be ashamed for leaving everything you had on the field.

"I'm proud of every player who stepped on that field tonight," running back Nic Higgins said. "They gave 110 percent and I couldn't ask for anything more."

St. Charles North showed its 110 percent effort all game on defense, and its offense showed it on the final drive. Quarterback Nick Neari was under pressure all night but kept his cool, throwing for 174 yards and making several athletic plays to keep drives alive.

That included chasing down another fumbled snap nearly 20 yards behind the line of scrimmage on the final drive, scrambling away from two defenders, and nearly launching a 20-yard completion to Nick Fonte that would have given St. Charles North a first down inside the 20. Fonte was just barely out of bounds.

Neari also converted two third downs on the last drive before hitting Kyle Harmon on a 23-yard pass.

Gould said if the North Stars would have put the ball in the end zone they would have gone for the 2-point conversion, just like they did in last year's playoff win at Moline.

"Absolutely. One of coaches on sidelines said how much it is like last year, with a minute and something left, driving down the field, got to throw the ball, let's see what happens," Gould said.

Four incomplete passes stopped the North Stars' drive, and their chance to repeat last year's win.

"Our heart showed on that drive," Higgins said. "That is North Star pride right there. That is North Star football."

North Star football also has traditionally included tough defense. It was no exception Friday as they forced 5 turnovers.

They did it all year with an undersized unit. The North Stars don't intimidate opponents with their size, but they showed plenty of fight Friday.

Lineman Dan McSweeney caused havoc in Moline's backfield. He did it while playing with what was thought to be a dislocated finger that only kept him out of the game for a few plays.

"We thought we had to take it away to have a chance," fellow defensive lineman Tim Janeway said. "We pride ourselves on defense. We have a lot of heart."

"The defense did a great job getting turnovers," Gould said. "They did a great job getting us the ball back in good field position."

Now that their up-and-down season is in the books, both Janeway and Higgins said they would remember the positive turns it took.

"From the beginning of the year it looked bad (to make the playoffs) but we got here," Janeway said. "We're happy about that."

"I wanted to go farther but I couldn't ask for anything better," Higgins said. "I've got memories I'll take away for the rest of my life."