Naperville North’s 28 unanswered points doom New Trier on opening night

What seemed to be a storybook start to New Trier’s 2024 season turned into a disheartening opening night as the Trevians could not withstand a ferocious second quarter onslaught from their Week 1 opponent. 

After the Trevians jumped out to an early lead thanks to a dominating nine-play, 80-yard touchdown drive on the opening series of the game, the Naperville North Huskies rallied to score 28 unanswered points en route to their 42-14 win over New Trier on Friday, Aug. 30, in Northfield. 

“I think we came out and played fast like we were talking about the whole offseason,” New Trier quarterback Patrick Heneghan said. “I think we just got a little too over our shoes. We weren’t the aggressor the rest of the game. … Our goal was to come out today and be the aggressor and after our first drive, we failed to do that.” 

The Huskies answered New Trier’s opening salvo with a scoring drive of their own, capping an eight-play first series with a 40-yard touchdown when standout quarterback Jacob Bell connected with Brock Pettaway. 

Naperville North then took full control of the game in the second quarter, scoring three touchdowns to take a 28-7 lead over the Trevs into halftime. 

New Trier appeared poised to cut into the deficit right before half after Dylan Benjamin intercepted a pass from Bell and set up the Trevs offense right outside North’s redzone. But the Huskies then produced the game’s signature moment when they intercepted the Trevians on the first play of the drive. 

Three plays later, the Huskies’ high-powered offense made New Trier pay for the turnover when Bell connected with star wide receiver Quinn Morris for a 41-yard touchdown. 

The Trevians had no answer for Bell Friday night as the Ball State commit fired four touchdown passes while passing for nearly 275 yards. North’s senior stalwart quarterback also rushed for a touchdown.  

“He’s very accurate, he’s very poised and he’s going to be a really nice college football player,” New Trier head coach Brian Doll said of Bell. 

New Trier also struggled to contain the Huskies’ talented group of skill position players. Wide receivers Morris, Pettaway and Chico Thomas all hauled in touchdown grabs while junior running back William Eloe was a force on the ground all evening. 

“They kind of took over with their passing game and we really struggled up front to stop their interior run game also,” Doll said. “So we were a little over matched up front, which hurt us. And then obviously the speed took over as the game went on with their receivers. We knew that was potentially going to be a problem for us.” 

But perhaps the biggest disruption for New Trier was the stellar play of North’s defensive front. The Huskies unrelenting pass rush, led by star defensive lineman Gabriel Hill, proved to be a major challenge for the Trevs throughout. 

“(Hill) is about as good as we’ll see,” Doll said. “We know that. That’s why he’s got full ride offers to some pretty big Power 5 schools. Actually, to be honest, and in 20 some years of coaching, he’s probably one of the best defensive linemen I’ve seen.” 

Naperville’s Daniel Manning also delivered a huge sack early in the second quarter that forced a New Trier fumble and set the Huskies up for their outstanding second frame. The Huskies sacked the Trevs five times Friday night.

Despite the unfavorable showing, the Trevs did find some positives from their Week 1 defeat. New Trier’s new-look offense, now under the play-calling leadership of Doll, racked up 365 yards of total offense. 

Heneghan accounted for 199 yards of offense (137 passing, 62 rushing) while sophomore Will Miller paced the skill position group with 127 yards of offense. 

Senior Ryan Ambrosino took a screen pass from Heneghan on the opening drive 27 yards for New Trier’s first touchdown while senior Ben Zieziula hauled in a 7-yard pass from Heneghan in the fourth quarter for the Trevs’ second score. 

“I think there were some bright moments offensively,” Doll said. “The screen game was amazing tonight. We hit three big screens for some (big plays), including the touchdown at the beginning of the game.”

New Trier will be back on its home field again next Friday for a Week 2 matchup with Yorkville High School. The Trevs will need to be better defensively, especially against the pass, Doll said, adding that the team will also need to improve on its ability to run the ball “more effectively at key moments.” 

The message to the team during the week ahead will largely be about forgetting what happened in Week 1. 

“You have to learn how to have a quick memory,” Doll said. “And my hope is our captains, who are just such great leaders this year, will be able to lead us this coming week and that’s what we’re looking for them to do.” 

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