In one of the most highly anticipated matchups of the season, Naperville Central fell to Lincoln-Way East in a meeting of two undefeated teams on Oct. 25.

Within the first minute of the game, a fumble was recovered by senior Daniel Nussbaum, causing an early turnover. Capitalizing on this play, quarterback Sebi Hayes immediately threw to wide-open senior Deshaun Williams for the touchdown. An extra point bumped the score to 7-0, and marked the first time that Lincoln-Way has trailed all season.

“I think we passed a lot more today, and we’re usually more of a running team, and I think we did a great job of making plays and making catches,” Hayes said.

To begin the second quarter, the Griffins looked to retaliate, and succeeded in doing so by scoring a touchdown almost immediately after play resumed.

Breaking the 7-7 tie, Lincoln-Way defensive tackle Gage LaDere picked off Hayes and ran 63 yards into the endzone

“They have two really good defensive ends, and we tried to change up some of the tempo to slow them down, but, you know, in some critical spots, they were able to tee off and get to our quarterback way too much tonight,” head coach Mike Ulreich said.

As the second half commenced, the Griffins’ quarterback Jonas Williams, an Oregon commit, continued to play well, throwing yet another touchdown for Lincoln-Way.

About halfway through the third quarter, Gavin Ellison intercepted the ball, giving the Redhawks some hope.

However, that hope was fleeting, as Central had yet to score going into the fourth quarter.

The Griffins scored one final time, resulting in a 28-7 win for the Griffins.

“I think our defense played super hard, and we just have to do a better job of getting the ball in the end zone and finishing drives, so we don’t have to put as much pressure on our defense,” Hayes said.

After suffering their first loss, the Redhawks will play Schaumburg on Oct. 31 in the first round of the IHSA State Series.