Previewing: Naperville North

When choosing between reloading and rebuilding, bet on reloading when it comes to Naperville North's football program.

It's true that only six starters return from last year's DuPage Valley Conference title team but don't count out the Huskies as they go another round this season with rivals Wheaton Warrenville South and Naperville Central.

"We've got a lot of work to do, but we have some talent," said Huskies coach Larry McKeon. "There are a lot of inexperienced players who need to step up for us to be successful."

For all the juniors expected to contribute, however, that's also where the Huskies have their key experience. Junior linebacker Nick Lifka is among the state's touted recruits in the Class of 2011 after leading last year's team with 80 tackles, including 16 for loss.

Lifka, offered by Eastern Illinois, is at the heart of the Huskies' strength in their corps of linebackers. Jack Krejci and Arnas Gintautas also return as starters.

Lineman Blex Vixama and defensive back Evan Prendergast, out last season due to injury, are back to give Naperville North a decent chunk of defensive experience.

While there's a bit of stability on that side of the ball, the Huskies must rebuild their entire offense. That includes more than 2,500 rushing and 850 passing yards.

Still, Naperville North has some experience at quarterback. Six-foot-five junior Matt LaCosse threw for 200 yards in two starts at the beginning of last season when senior Matt Manade was out due to injury. Six-four receiver James O'Shaughnessy, who had 8 catches for 112 yards, has a scholarship offer from Illinois State.

The double-wing running game is untested but has tremendous potential with Idris Hanidu, Jon Ryan and others. The offensive line, however, returns only one starter in Dan Easley.

Reloading won't not be easy, but it sure beats rebuilding.

"We've got a chance to be a pretty good football team," McKeon said.