He was sacked six times and walked off the field on crutches, his right ankle iced and heavily taped. But nothing was going to keep Naperville Central quarterback Kyle Nashert from enjoying his evening Friday.
The 6-foot, 190-pound senior rushed for one touchdown and completed 8 of 14 passes for 122 yards and a score in helping to lead the Redhawks to a 21-0 pasting of Lake Park for the second year in a row, this time in Roselle.
“It was rough at times, and my ankle was hurting pretty bad at the end,” Nashert said. “For a first start, I felt I should have done better. But we won. That’s all I care about.”
Naperville had plenty of help from the Lancers, who turned the ball over four times. The first came just five plays into the game, and Nashert made them pay with a 1-yard dive with just 5:47 gone.
Naperville’s ball-control offense did the rest, totaling 155 yards to Lake Park’s 15 in a third quarter that saw the Redhawks put the game away. Backup QB Steve Rickert came in to spell a hobbling Nashert and scored on a 14-yard run. Nashert returned and capped the scoring with a 15-yard lob to Dylan Scott with 1:34 left in the third.
