Oswego defeats Naperville Central 27-6

Oswego fans saw the difference immediately. Running back Ammar Banire took a handoff on the third play of the game and ran 31 yards for a touchdown. That early score helped the Panthers build a 27-6 lead over Naperville Central in a Class 8A first-round playoff game on Friday night at Ken Pickerill Stadium.

This was Banire's first game in six weeks. He had missed time due to a turf toe injury sustained during a loss to Bolingbrook in Week 4. A teammate stepped on his heel, hyperextending his big toe. The Panthers held him out of action for several weeks to ensure the injury fully healed before the playoffs began.

Banire returned with force. He rushed for 118 yards on seven carries in the first half. His average was nearly 17 yards per attempt. He found the end zone twice and set up another score. Coach Brian Cooney said the team felt comfortable pulling Banire from the game at halftime. The Panthers led 21-0 at that point. Cooney wanted to let the player rest.

The first touchdown came on a draw play. Banire cut back inside near the 20-yard line and outran the Naperville Central defense. The second score came later in the first half. After a long sack on the quarterback, Banire took a handoff and broke away for a 48-yard run. The next play, Luke Hernandez punched in a 10-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 14-0.

Banire struck again on the following drive. He won a footrace to the corner of the end zone for a 17-yard score. That was his final carry of the night. The rest of the rushing workload went to Graham Schwab and Hernandez. Schwab had 45 yards on 17 carries. Hernandez added 22 yards and a second touchdown on four attempts.

The Panthers' defense controlled the game for most of the contest. They shut out Naperville Central for the first three quarters. Redhawks quarterback Simon Hayes completed only 9 of 24 passes for 90 yards. He also threw one interception. The Oswego defense sacked Hayes six times. Defensive end Ethan Pilip recorded three of those sacks.

Safety Dontrell Young returned from a concussion he suffered in Week 7. He intercepted a pass in the third quarter. Later in the fourth quarter, he stopped a long reverse play by Naperville Central receiver Mark Williams at the 10-yard line. Young used his speed to chase down the ball carrier and prevent a potential touchdown.

Naperville Central scored their only points late in the fourth quarter. With 5:31 left, Ian Figi caught a 10-yard pass from Hayes for a touchdown. The Redhawks failed on the ensuing two-point conversion attempt. The final score remained 27-6. Quarterback Drew Kleinhans finished 10-of-14 for 85 yards and one touchdown pass for Oswego.

The Panthers will host Naperville North on Saturday in the second round. Naperville North defeated Fremd 38-31 in the first round. This matchup will be a rematch of last year's first-round game.