For the first time in Niles North High School history, the football team has gone past the playoffs, making it past the all the way to the quarterfinals, only to be defeated by Bradley Bourbonnais on Saturday, November 14.

The team this year had an overall standing of seven wins and five losses.

“It feels good to advance but we aren’t done yet. The plan from the beginning was to make it to the playoffs again and we feel great coming into this game all we have to do is execute,” Myles Davis, freshman, said.

Davis has been one of the key players on the field this season and for a freshman, he continues to strive, therefore his upcoming seasons are looking extremely good.

“It was a tremendous season. We had a good run and it was all for the fans and people of Niles North. We did everything we could to make the run continue but unfortunately we came short,” Adrian Brown, junior, said.

The vikings came out strong during the first and second quarter, dominating the field.

Barrington Wade, senior, ran 70 yards for a touchdown, ducking and passing by the opposing team. The score was 7-0.

Bradley made a touchdown, but North picked it back up during the second quarter when Richard Azzuna, senior, ran it in for a 20 yard score, the Vikings lead 14-7. Another touchdown was made and vikings were leading 17-14 during halftime.

“During the game all I felt was adrenaline pumping through my body. Because I knew that I was going into a war alongside my brothers. Losing to Bradley didn’t bring us down, it just made us hungry for more and brought us closer as a team,” says Bruno Kanam, sophomore.

During the the third and fourth quarter, the vikings made some mistakes and the boilermakers took this to their advantage, scoring touchdowns. At the end, the Bradley Bourbonnais were victorious ending the game with a score of 28-17.

“It was a fun atmosphere at Bradley and I always have fun on the field because I just love playing the game,” says Thomas Gaul, senior.

Although the team unfortunately did not make it to the state finals and didn’t gain the title of state champions, the vikings 2015-2016 season was one of the most preeminent seasons in Niles North High School.

Photo Credits: Varsity Views