Noah Battle takes charge with 146 yards, 3 TDs, Downers North powers past Hoffman Estates

HOFFMAN ESTATES – On Aug. 27, the Hoffman Estates football squad took a trip back in time. Because of a power problem with half of its field lights Aug. 26, its season opener with Downers Grove North was postponed to Saturday afternoon.

It was a familiar place for the Hawks’ gridiron program, which had played in the Saturday afternoon time slot for its first 29 seasons of existence. Lights didn’t arrive at Garber Stadium until the 2004 campaign.

Play resumed with the Trojans’ first possession of the football with the home team ahead 6-0 at the 9:20 mark of the first quarter.

Unfortunately for Hoffman Estates, it would have preferred to have kept the score from the board from Friday night. Downers Grove North returned fully charged and ready for action as it blended a successful concoction of run and pass to post a dominant 36-13 win.

“A lot of people doubted us in this game,” Trojans junior tailback Noah Battle said. “The majority had Hoffman winning this game. So it put a chip on our shoulders and now we have that chip throughout the whole season.”

Thanks to Battle (16 carries, 146 yards, 3 touchdowns), Downers North (1-0) was able to gain control of the contest on its opening series. Battle went 61 yards on the fourth play from scrimmage to tie the game at 6-6 with 7:31 left in the first quarter.

After a turnover placed the visitors at the Hoffman 25, Battle scored from two yards out to make it a 13-6 Trojans lead with 4:37 left in the opening stanza.

After the second scoring connection for the Hawks between quarterback Aiden Cyr and wide receiver Stephon Sellers (87 yards) evened things up at 13, a 23-yard scoring strike from North quarterback Sam Reichert to Ethan Thulin put the Trojans ahead to stay at 20-13 with 5:09 remaining until halftime.

Battle added his third TD from 9 yards out with 55 second remaining in the half to expand the Downers North advantage to 27-13 at the break.

The game’s turning point came after a pair of fumbled snaps by the Trojans gave Hoffman Estates the ball at Downers North’s 15 for their first possession of the second half. But thanks to the North defense, it successfully repelled the Hawks scoring chance as Hoffman Estates could move the ball no further than the Trojans’ 10. Downers North batted down a pair of passes in the end zone by Cyr (17 of 22 for 207 yards) to quell the threat, Hoffman Estates’ last scoring chance on the afternoon.

A 39-yard Sean Ryniec field goal and a 1-yard QB sneak by Reichert in the third closed out the day’s scoring.

Downers North outgained the Hawks 290-225 in total offense.

“Super proud of our kids,” Downers North coach Joe Horeni said. “To be able to respond to the adversity that they had for last night with the lights, it was a really great team effort. [There are] certain things we can clean up, but really, really proud of our effort.”

[ https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://football.dailyherald.com/sports/20220827/downers-grove-north-dominates-hoffman-estates/__;!!M4vhdRTxuY8!1dln9e5oRDZ8k49hs_p4cSnX1o23U3aP_pMamS2O55jBBHCCZXmd3OQlRbICC8hZu5QLKN6qAotzyFiLTxo$ ]https://football.dailyherald.com/sports/20220827/downers-grove-north-dominates-hoffman-estates/