Naperville North outlasts Fremd for first playoff win in 16 years

This was as good a return as Naperville North running back Jayke Collins could have wanted.

In a Class 8A first-round playoff football game against Fremd not settled until the final second, Collins returned from a Week 5 broken collarbone to run for 135 yards and two touchdowns in the Huskies’ 38-31 victory at Harshbarger-Welzel Stadium in Naperville.

Leading No. 13 seed Naperville North to its first playoff win since 2010, Collins was among four Huskies running backs to run for touchdowns, joining Charlie Neumann, Brendon Wickert and Victor Tyson.

“We haven’t won a playoff game in a long time now, so we needed to get this. We knew we were on a streak, going 7-2 into this,” said Collins, who scored on touchdown runs of eight and 70 yards.

“Coming off the injury I knew I had to ball out. I think we showed up. That bye helped us out big time, got me a little extra recovery. But I’m back, better than ever,” Collins said.

Earning a second-round game at No. 4 Oswego, Naperville North (8-2) scored the last 10 points of the game on Neumann’s 21-yard run and Miles Nio’s kick, and Nio’s 33-yard field goal with 3:29 left to play.

“What a great kick by Miles Nio, makes a huge field goal,” said Huskies coach Sean Drendel.

Led by junior quarterback Will Clark and senior running back Jayden Faulkner, No. 13 Fremd (7-4) marched back downfield liked both teams had all game.

But after Fremd gained first-and-goal at the 9-yard line with 53 seconds left in the game, the Vikings missed an open receiver in the end zone and Naperville North linebacker John Lyons and defensive back CJ Geist excelled in coverage to finally keep Fremd out of the end zone.

“They couldn’t stop us, we couldn’t stop them,” said Fremd coach Lou Sponsel. “Really it felt like it was going to come down to who had the ball last, and yes, we were going for two.”

After Fremd took leads of 10-7 after the first quarter − capped by Kale Peterson’s 99-yard kickoff return − and 17-14 at halftime, Naperville North began the second half on Collins’ 70-yard touchdown run.

That started a string of five straight scoring possessions by both teams, and ended on Neumann’s 21-yard run that with Nio’s kick finally gave Naperville North a lead for good, 35-31 with 8:21 to play.

“It’s great for our community, it’s great for our school,” Drendel said. “We keep getting a little bit better each year since COVID, and we’re trying to kick in some doors.”

Naperville North’s Jack Zito caught eight passes for 72 yards, while Fremd’s Clark threw for 184 yards and a touchdown, and ran for 100 yards and touchdowns of nine and 12 yards.

“Even though the scoreboard didn’t show it at the end,” Clark said, “I still think our defense did a heck of a job of keeping us in the game and keeping the energy up for the offense, to score points and just keep it close with them.”