Naperville North 37, Glenbard North 7

Naperville North senior fullback Tyrone Saunders enjoyed the game of his life, scoring 4 touchdowns.

But it was a non-scoring play that sparked the Huskies to a 37-7 DuPage Valley Conference football romp over Glenbard North Friday night in Carol Stream.

On the first play of the second half, Naperville North senior defensive end Kyle Lackner intercepted a Glenbard North screen pass and returned it 17 yards to the Panthers 1.

"The first thing that went through my head when I caught it was, Ȣ₈¬Ã‹Å“This is a dream,' " Lackner said.

It turned out to be a nightmare for Glenbard North (2-3, 1-2).

Saunders ran for a touchdown on the next play as Naperville North (5-0, 3-0) moved ahead 21-7.

Lackner's pick triggered 23 unanswered points for the Huskies, who turned a 14-7 halftime edge into a 37-7 rout in less than nine minutes.

"He helped me get a touchdown so I want to pat him on the back for that,' Saunders said of Lackner and his big play. "When the defense ran off the field, I knew it was going to be a totally different second half."

That turned true in no small part to Saunders, a 6-foot-2, 260-pound unstoppable force of physics. He ran for touchdowns of 10 yards and a pair of 1-yarders on the way to 86 yards on 10 carries, while also catching an 8-yard TD pass from Jordan Tassio.

"I played for 11 years and never had 4 touchdowns," Saunders said with a wide grin. "It's amazing. It's the best feeling in the world."

"Oh, he's a load," Glenbard North coach Ryan Wilkens said of Saunders. "He's a big kid. He gets moving downhill and he'll drag you for 5, 6, 7 yards."

Junior Nick Mlady led Naperville North in rushing with 119 yards on 15 carries.

The explosive Huskies, who have scored at least 37 points in each of their first five games, gained 340 yards to Glenbard North's 169.

Tyler Doll ran the ball 22 times for 103 yards, including a 1-yard TD, for the Panthers (2-3, 1-2).

Naperville North jumped ahead 7-0 when Tassio hooked up with Tom Costantino for a 15-yard touchdown pass near the end of the first quarter.

Glenbard North answered with a nine-play, 80-yard touchdown drive.

The Huskies kept their final drive of the first half alive when Tassio ran 14 yards on a fake punt before Saunders scored his first TD to give his team a 14-7 lead.