Naperville Central opened the season with high hopes back in August. The Redhawks were ranked No. 17 in the preseason and expected to lean on their defense early while the offense rounded into shape.
Senior quarterback Sebastian Hayes, who missed his sophomore and junior seasons due to injury, was back. Wide receiver DeShaun Williams, an Indiana State recruit, had to work his way into the offense after transferring from St. Francis.
The Redhawks ran the ball a lot for the first few games of the season while Hayes got his feet wet.
Against Fremd in the second round of the Class 8A playoffs, Hayes played like a future Big Ten quarterback. The 6-4, 220-pounder was 19 of 26 for 196 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He connected with nine receivers. Williams had nine catches for 92 yards and a TD.
Naperville Central also has an effective running back in Aiden Clark. He had 36 carries for 173 yards against the Vikings.
The dual-threat offense helped the Redhawks hold off a furious comeback from Fremd and junior quarterback Johnny O’Brien. The Northwestern recruit threw for 464 yards and four touchdowns.
Everything has fallen into place nicely for Naperville Central, which also has Vanderbilt recruit Jake Stanish on the defensive line. Next up for the Redhawks is a trip to LaGrange to face Lyons in the state quarterfinals.
Warren’s Aaron Stewart sparkles
There are star quarterbacks all over the state this season. That’s overshadowed the weakness at running back. Several teams that spent most of the season in the Super 25 didn’t run the ball much.
It was notable in the second round that teams with competent running backs (Naperville Central, Lyons, York, Lake Forest, Batavia) pulled off significant wins.
There is one team still alive in the playoffs with a star running back: Warren.
Blue Devils junior Aaron Stewart dominated Barrington in the second round. He had 42 carries for 359 yards and five TDs. So far this season Stewart has rushed for 2,348 yards and 32 TDs. He’s averaging 7.3 yards per carry.
At 5-7, 170 pounds, Stewart is a small, powerful back. Football is his second sport. He’s a nationally ranked wrestler.
Warren is at York in the quarterfinals.
Jack Elliott is running again for Mount Carmel
Mount Carmel may have the quickest-strike offense in the area. Quarterback Jack Elliott is especially adept at throwing long balls down the sideline for sophomore Quentin Burrell, senior Cooper Lehman and freshman Marshaun Thornton.
But for the past two months, Elliott’s running game has been limited due to an injury. That changed in the second-round win against St. Charles North. The Vanderbilt recruit had 13 carries for 66 yards and two touchdowns.
The Caravan started the playoffs as the most likely team to win Class 7A. With Elliott running again, Mount Carmel is an overwhelming favorite to pull off the three-peat.
Cary-Grove loses Logan Abrams
Cary-Grove cruised past Antioch 41-8 in the second round of the Class 6A playoffs. But the Trojans did it without star fullback/linebacker Logan Abrams, who will miss the rest of the season with an injury.
Cary-Grove quarterback Peyton Seaburg stepped up and rushed for 102 yards and four touchdowns against the Sequoits. But Abrams’ absence is a major loss on both sides of the ball, especially with powerhouse East St. Louis looming in Class 6A.