Nightingale, New Trier attack early and eliminate Huntley
New Trier has been improving every week and was more than ready for the start of Friday's quarterfinal game at Huntley.
The Trevians scored two quick touchdowns, jumped to a 21-0 advantage and never gave up the momentum. The Red Raiders put up a fight, but fell 42-28.
New Trier (11-1) moves onto the Class 8A semifinals for the first time since 1982, and will face the winner of Saturday's Loyola vs. St. Ignatius matchup.
“It's crazy, two years ago, New Trier football was 2-7 as a program, now 11-1 and going to the semifinals,” senior quarterback Jackie Ryder said. “It's just amazing to see all these guys I've been playing my whole life with. To get a win like this, it's really humbling.”
Running back Throy Nightingale Jr. was the story of this one. The 5-foot-9 senior scored five touchdowns and rushed for 301 yards on a whopping 39 carries. The Trevians may have a Purdue commit at quarterback, but can also operate a ground-and-pound offense.
Nightingale is new to New Trier, having transferred from Notre Dame, and has obviously been a valuable addition.
“ It's amazing,” Nightingale said of his new school. “The people are great, the team is great. Shout out to all the support we get. My teammates and my coaches, they're leaning on me, so I know I've got to come out here and do my thing.”
New Trier coach Brian Doll, a former head coach at Elk Grove, talked about the boost Nightingale has brought.
“He's just been awesome in so many different ways,” Doll said. “He's a quiet kid, he's got a quiet confidence about himself, but the kids absolutely love him. You know he's a special player, but he's a very religious kid, he's a very 'us' kid, about our team and everything. He really fit into the culture we had.”
The future remains bright at Huntley (11-1), with junior quarterback Malik Carter and junior running back Chase Hojnacki. It took the Red Raiders a while to get going, but in the second half, Carter threw for 240 yards, completing 16 of 20 passes.
He and Hojnacki combined on a 62-yard screen pass coming out of halftime. Then when Carter hit Matthew Schroeder for a 9-yard touchdown, Huntley was within 21-14.
But New Trier got a nice kickoff return past midfield by Ben Sullivan, and scored seven plays later. After forcing a fourth-down stop, the Trevians went up 35-14 on the first play of the fourth quarter.
The final quarter did feature a nice 21-yard touchdown catch by Schroeder, who reached over a receiver to make the grab in the end zone.
“We started off a little sluggish,” Huntley coach Mike Naymola said. “It was one step forward, one step back. Great football team over there, well-coached, great players. They took it to us today in all three phases, really,
“It doesn't take away from what we were able to accomplish this year, broke the school record for wins. The buy-in they had all the way back in January has carried into now.”
Ryder started the scoring by hitting Sullivan for a 43-yard touchdown. He talked about how this was a sad week at his school.
“My good friend, Brock Beeler, unfortunately passed away on Wednesday,” Ryder said. “I really wanted to go out here and get a win for him. He was our biggest fan, he was front row every game, cheering his heart out. It's so special to be able to get this win for him.”