‘Edgy’ Tim O’Halloran: Underdog playoff football teams and key names to watch
Several Daily Herald area football teams remain alive after an explosive weekend of IHSA first-round playoff football games. Let’s look at some local teams considered as second-round underdogs, along with key names to watch.
Naperville North
The Huskies (8-2) lost in the regular season to New Trier and East St. Louis, both highly-seeded playoff qualifiers. Yet somehow the 13th-seeded Huskies will be the road team and an underdog this weekend at No. 4 Oswego (9-1) in Class 8A. Naperville North senior quarterback Dante Colasante (5-foot-9, 170 pounds) has been a huge performer for the Huskies. He’s completed 110 of 171 passes for 1,303 yards and 12 touchdowns. His ability to be a run and pass threat has stood out this fall. Colasante, to me, is an old-school throwback type of player who plays all out on every rep.
Barrington
The Broncos (7-4), seeded 24th in 8A, had a terrible start to the season while losing its first four games to eventual playoff teams Lyons Twp., Lincoln-Way Central, Naperville North and Hersey. Barrington has now won seven straight games including two straight in the playoffs. The Broncos will be a major underdog this week when they travel to the South Side of Chicago to take on Mount Carmel. The MVP this season for Barrington is junior running back Lamar Osterhues (1,500 yards rushing). Osterhues seems to get better the more carries he gets this season. Look for Osterhues to draw the focus of a Mount Carmel defense stacked with Power Four college talent led by defensive tackle Caleb Tucker (6-5, 355 pounds). The longer Osterhues and the Broncos’ offense can stay on the field and keep drives alive, the better it will be for Barrington's chances.
Glenbard North
The Panthers (5-6), seeded 38th in Class 7A, for many years have had the reputation of being a tough out in the playoffs. The Panthers, who lost six of their last seven regular-season games, always seem to play fast and physical football. Up next for the Panthers is No. 11 Richards (8-2), which will look familiar from a style-of-play standpoint. Glenbard North is getting a big season from senior running back Angelo Gatses (1,409 yards rushing) along with quarterback Logan Kramer (1,640 total yards). The defense looks much improved. Glenbard North is unquestionably battle-tested from playing in the stacked DuKane Conference. I would not be stunned to see the Panthers stay close to Richards this weekend.
Aurora Christian
In Class 2A, the No. 3 Eagles (9-1) might be highly-seeded but they sit in the middle of an upper bracket stacked with giant-killers including No. 6 Maroa Forsyth (9-1), their second-round opponent. The Eagles are never short on offense and are led by key underclassmen including sophomore quarterback JuJu Vasquez, junior running back Jalen Callaway and sophomore running back Luke Baumann. Maroa Forsyth counters with multiyear starting quarterback Aiden Williams, who operates a spread offense averaging 49 points per game.