On paper, it simply was one of many Southwest Valley games Friday to end the regular season. But the annual Wes Spencer Crosstown Classic between Naperville North and Naperville Central at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium on the campus of North Central College is anything but ordinary.

Nothing was ordinary about William Eloe, who scored twice in the fourth quarter to cap a 102-yard night and give the Huskies (6-3, 5-2) a come-from-behind victory, 21-15, only their second win over the Redhawks (2-7, 2-5) since 2018.

“Growing up as a kid, I remember watching this game before I was even in high school,” Eloe said. “And seeing people make big plays like that for the Huskies, that’s kind of what I wanted to grow up doing, but I never thought I’d be able to do it. And now, here I am making those plays, and it’s amazing.”

After a scoreless first quarter in which no play went for more than eight yards, Kyle Clark had a 14-yard run to set up a 2-yard touchdown run by Ryan Jacobson that allowed Naperville Central to strike first. However, the extra-point kick was blocked, so it was a 6-0 game.

The block proved big when Dante Colasante (168 yards on 21-of-25 passing) responded on the next possession with a 19-yard touchdown pass to CJ Geist, giving Naperville North a 7-6 lead.

“It’s kind of who we’ve been all year,” said Naperville North coach Sean Drendel. “We compete, we play hard, and I think our guys never think anything’s insurmountable.”

It was the Redhawks in front, 9-7, at halftime though after Gavin Ellison put them back in front in the final minute of the first half with a 44-yard field goal, his longest of the season.

In the third quarter, Jacobson gained 35 yards on a pass by Dylan Richards (58 yards on 5-of-10 passing), the longest play from scrimmage all game. He later scored his second touchdown that came about as he was in the middle of a pile. But another failed extra-point attempt kept the score at 15-7.

Eloe made it a two-point game on a 12-run touchdown run, but the Huskies were penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct at the end of the play, pushing them back to the 18-yard line on the two-point conversion attempt, which was just barely ruled out of bounds on the sidelines.

When Naperville Central went three-and-out on the next possession, Naperville North took the ball at its own 46. Eloe consistently gained yardage and milked the clock, ultimately getting to the 1 with 15.3 seconds left.

After a timeout, Eloe found the end zone for the game-winning score. That was made official after a Redhawks desperation play at the end didn’t get very far.

“We put together a great three quarters of football, and we just couldn’t close the game out,” Naperville Coach Mike Ulreich said. “So I’m just sad for those guys. They just didn’t get the chance to go out the right way.”