Huskies take their time, do it right

Against a strong football team like Bolingbrook, you have to take advantage of your opportunities, something Naperville North struggled to do for a half.

Fortunately for the Huskies, however, it didn't matter for a couple of reasons.

First, while the offense let some golden scoring chances slip away in the first half of its Class 8A second-round playoff game, the defense was dominating a potent Raiders attack.

Secondly, the offense dominated in the second half, taking advantage of every opportunity to build its 14-0 halftime lead into a 37-14 win that moves Naperville North (10-1) into the state quarterfinals for the first time since 2000.

Quarterback Jordan Tassio, who opened the game's scoring with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Tom Walsh, capped off the Huskies' first drive of the second half with a 21-yard field goal. He later added a 13-yard TD run and even caught a 9-yard scoring pass from Tom Costantino on a halfback option play.

But as great as Tassio was, it was tailback Nick Mlady and the Huskies defense who really stole the show.

Mlady rushed for 227 yards and 1 TD on 19 carries, while the Huskies defensive unit limited Bolingbrook star back Eric Smith to just 63 yards on 15 carries.

"In the first half we had a whole lot of opportunities that we didn't take advantage of," said Mlady, whose Huskies will play at Lincoln-Way East next weekend with a berth in the state semifinals on the line. "But the offensive line kept opening up holes and we executed well in the second half."

Bolingbrook coach John Ivlow, whose team reached the quarterfinals last season, was impressed with how well the Huskies played against his Raiders (8-3).

"They're very good," he said. "We knew that coming in, but boy did they show it. They're deceivingly physical. They're the best team we faced all year by far."

The Huskies were stopped at the goal line on their first possession of the night, had another drive come up inches short on fourth down, and Mlady lost a fumble in Raiders territory late in the half. Yet the hosts led 14-0 as Mlady totaled more yards in the first half (164) than the Huskies defense allowed.

"Obviously, we focused on Eric Smith, who is an amazing back, but coaches told us turnovers would win this game," said Naperville North linebacker Andre Crawford, whose fumble recovery set up Walsh's TD catch. "(The year) 2000 was the last time we got to the third round. We're so happy. This is the road to Champaign."

With Tassio, Mlady and Costantino all coming up big, the Huskies built a 31-0 lead early in the fourth quarter. Dave Hess and Ben Kelsey helped out with a pair of interceptions as the Huskies won the turnover battle 3-1.

"The defense did a great job," Huskies coach Larry McKeon said. "It seemed like different players stepped up on every play. It always feels good to win no matter if it's the first round or the last round. But it's nice to get back to the quarters."