Max Troha is never surprised when Owen Lansu can make a connection with him on deep throws.

It’s synergy developed over time.

How far back do they go?

“He’s been throwing bombs to me since second grade, since we were really little,” said Troha, Downers Grove North’s senior receiver. “He trusts me, and I trust him. If he sees a mismatch on me, he’s going to throw it.”

Lansu, Downers Grove North’s senior quarterback and Minnesota recruit, twice dialed long distance to connect with Troha in the first half Saturday.

It was part of a near-flawless first half by Lansu in the Trojans’ eventual 28-10 win over visiting Lincoln-Way West in a Class 7A quarterfinal game.

Lansu’s first big throw to Troha came with Downers Grove North (10-2) trailing Lincoln-Way West (10-2) 3-0 late in the first quarter.

On third-and-long near midfield, Lansu lofted a perfect ball down the left sideline to Troha for a 50-yard gain. Two plays later, Lansu took in a 6-yard keeper for a TD.

“When that player was on me, I think Owen just knew that I could run by him,” Troha said. “On the first one, wasn’t a touchdown, I kind of just had better leverage going outside.”

Next possession, Lansu and Troha flipped the field for a similar result.

A 40-yard bomb to Troha for a TD down the right side made it 14-3 with 7:37 left in the second quarter.

The two long strikes were a contrast to the previous week, when Lansu largely settled for short throws in a win at Glenbard West.

“Our plan every week is to go out and take what defenses give us,” Lansu said. “Last week they did a really good job of making sure we didn’t throw the ball over the top at all.

“This week there were looks where we like to throw the ball vertically, which is what we want to do, we think we have good receivers that can do it. They gave us opportunities, and we made the most out of it.”

It helps to have a quarterback on the top of his game like Lansu was Saturday.

He completed 15 of 18 throws for 209 yards in the first half. One incompletion was a drop and another a smart throwaway under pressure.

Lansu threaded the needle to Oliver Thulin for a 14-yard TD just before half to give Downers Grove North a commanding 21-3 halftime lead.

“Owen played awesome today,” Downers Grove North coach Joe Horeni said. “He’s very smart with the football, he makes very good decisions. I’m glad he’s our quarterback.

“On film, a few of the games [Lincoln-Way West] played they really played really deep at the safety position, so we thought we’d have to take our shots underneath and then move up and take our shots. We saw a matchup that we liked with Max and took advantage of it. Two really good balls.”

The Warriors knew all too well what Lansu was capable of. As a sophomore two years ago, he threw four touchdown passes in Downers Grove North’s 34-6 quarterfinal win over Lincoln-Way West.

“Two big plays in the first half, and we just couldn’t come back from it,” Lincoln-Way West coach Luke Lokanc said. “Obviously, he’s a great quarterback, a great player.”

Grant Tustin scored Lincoln-Way West’s lone TD on a 7-yard QB keeper with 11:54 left that made it 21-10.

Jahan Abubakar rushed for 90 yards on 21 carries for the Warriors, who finished with the program’s most wins since the 2015 Class 5A runner-up.

“Just super proud of this group, these seniors, this program, these coaches,” Lokanc said. “It was a great year, a fun year. They fought their tails off. They sure will be missed.”

Caden Chiarelli rushed for 112 yards with a 1-yard TD run in the final minute for Downers Grove North.

Lansu finished 17 of 23 for 219 yards. Thulin had six catches for 53 yards, and Illinois recruit Will Vala had five catches for 51 yards, including a spectacular one-handed grab for 27 yards.

The Trojans will be on the road next week to face the winner of Brother Rice-St. Charles North. Downers Grove North is a win away from reaching the Class 7A final for the second time in three years.

“It means a lot,” Lansu said. “The most important thing is having one more week together, one more week of practice with everybody on this team. We love each other, we love practicing together and being together. Knowing we have one more week, it’s super special.”