Naperville Central pulled off an upset win against No. 2 Lyons Township 24-7 in the IHSA State Series quarterfinals on Nov. 15. 

Senior DeShaun Williams, an Indiana State commit, started the Redhawks off strong, scoring a 50-yard touchdown off a pass from quarterback Sebastian Hayes, a senior. Williams tipped the ball back to himself after it appeared to be out of arm’s reach, securing the ball and running it in for six on the board. Paired with the extra point, Central started the game 7-0.

“Our execution in the first half contributed to the win,” head coach Mike Ulreich said. “DeShaun Williams made an unbelievable play.”

Williams wasn’t done yet. Early in the second quarter, Hayes connected with him again for another touchdown, pushing the lead to 14-0 after junior Gavin Ellison’s extra point.

“The line blocked perfectly and Sebi threw perfectly every time, so it was easy,” Williams said.

Lyons managed to find some rhythm, putting together their lone scoring drive of the night with a touchdown and a successful extra point with 5:39 left in the second quarter.

With mere seconds remaining in the half, Ellison kicked a field goal to add three to the score.

To begin the third quarter, the Redhawks converted on fourth down in the red zone, giving Hayes an opportunity to run it into the endzone, scoring a touchdown.

Then, Central’s defense took over on a turnover of downs, highlighted by a blocked pass and sack by senior Troy Kashul.

Minutes remained in the game, the Lions looked for any opportunity to score, but the Redhawks quickly sealed their win with an interception by senior Daniel Nussbaum.

“This team’s a special group of kids, and it’s unbelievable,” Ulreich said. “We had full confidence we were coming here and doing what we did: winning.”

With the victory, the Redhawks advance to the semifinals, where they’ll face York at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 23 at 6 p.m.

“Our confidence is through the roof,” Williams said. “We’re taking Central to state, baby.”