Oliver Gibson stood in the on-deck circle during Downers Grove North’s final at bat Saturday, his customary position as the team’s cleanup hitter.

A spot far from guaranteed him this spring.

Gibson, one of 19 juniors on the team, had a part-time role early on as coaches tried to ascertain his place on the team. He moved into the lineup’s fourth spot by the third week of April, a position he held down during the season’s stretch run.

“It was such a fun opportunity, first year playing on varsity,” Gibson said. “I knew that I would be competitive but would have to beat out some other guys.”

Gibson took the opportunity and ran it it.

Downers Grove North’s leading run producer, Gibson drove in a run in every playoff game. His RBI triple in the sixth inning accounted for the fourth-seeded Trojans’ lone run, a seventh-inning rally coming up empty in a 3-1 loss to second-seeded Naperville Central in the Class 4A Lockport Sectional final.

Downers Grove North (24-13) loaded the bases with one out in the seventh on a walk and Emilio Gandarilla single, and Drake Cosenza reaching on an error.

Ryan Gervase, Naperville Central’s third pitcher, came on in relief and struck out Sam Marshall on a called third strike and got Antonio Russotiesi on a fielder’s choice.

“That’s been my role all year,” Gervase said. “Just had to bear down, bring it home for my boys.”

Downers Grove North, a sectional champion in 2024, was sectional runner-up for the second straight year.

“Glad to see we at least gave ourselves an opportunity,” Downers Grove North coach Kyle Briscoe said. “These boys have done it all year long. We had our 2-3 hitters up, thought we had a solid chance. Kudos to Naperville, they gloved the [crap] out of it today, pitched well.”

Naperville Central (29-9), winning its first sectional title since 2012, has done so all postseason. The Redhawks, who next play Minooka in Monday’s supersectional, have allowed a combined one run.

Senior left-hander Max Henson threw 4 1/3 shutout innings, striking out four, in the combined five-hitter.

“Just battling out there,” Henson said. “I know I have my guys behind me making plays. Just try to throw strikes and compete, do my best. It’s been great, it’s been everyone, the whole staff.”

The Redhawks wasted no time jumping out early on Trojans’ starter Angelo Chiarelli.

Michael Page singled with one out in the first, Grant Umbright hit a ground-rule double and both runners scored when Ryan Pall’s grounder to second was booted.

Jermaine Kenady’s two-out double in the third scored Pall to make it 3-0, a tough climb against a Redhawks’ staff that had thrown three straight shutouts coming in.

Russotiesi’s one-out double in the fourth accounted for the Trojans’ first hit.

“We’ve seen the box scores,” Briscoe said. “We knew we had to keep it close.”

Finally in the sixth, the Trojans broke through. Marshall lined a leadoff single and with one out Gibson hit a booming drive to deep center that the center fielder seemed to misplay for a triple.

“It was over his head,” Gibson said. “He didn’t get that great of a read on it. He was kind of late to find it off the bat and slipped a little on it. I was just thinking I have to run the bases, make sure it gets over his head.”

Gibson, for his part, hardly seemed in over his head in his first varsity season.

He hit .345 with a team-best 34 RBIs in 87 at bats.

“What’s worked for me is day in, day out working hard, getting extra swings, get in the cages, stick to my approach,” Gibson said. “What has been working for me all season is not letting the situation get too big.”

Gibson, in fact, seemed to be clutch in the biggest spots.

He drove in Downers Grove North’s lone run in a 1-0 regional semifinal win over Oswego and knocked in two in the sectional semifinal against No. 1 seed Lockport.

“He’s been big in the playoffs for us,” Briscoe said. “He’s a guy who can barrel the ball up, a strong kid. He can attack the fastball well and has quick hands.”

Downers Grove North left seven runners on base and was 2 for 12 with runners on all game Saturday, but could appreciate another extended playoff run with breakthrough players like Gibson.

It culminated in the Trojans’ third straight sectional final. Downers Grove North did it with one of the state’s top pitching prospects in junior Duke commit Colin Doyle, but not so bats the likes of George Wolkow, Jude Warwick and Jimmy Janicki from recent years.

“In years past we had legit hitters, not that these guys aren’t, but guys who were drafted – this year we kind of had to more piecemeal it together which is more like a typical high school team," Briscoe said. “We’ve been blessed. These guys have worked their butt off to have this opportunity.”

“There is a standard for Downers Grove North baseball, a lot of things expected from us,” Gibson said. “One of the biggest things I’m grateful for is they’re always in our ear, they let us know there is a certain standard, a way we need to play in order to succeed. We kept to that standard.”

ExpandAutoplay

Image 1 of 20

Baseball: Downers Grove North vs Naperville Central JUN 06 Downers Grove North's Antonio Russotiesi (3) at bat during the 4A Lockport sectional game against Naperville Central on Saturday, JUNE. 06, 2026, at Lockport. (Dean Reid for Shaw Local News/Dean Reid)