Naperville North faces Naperville Central at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11, at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium in the DuPage Valley Conference crosstown rivalry game.

The Huskies (2-1) carry a two-game winning streak into the matchup at North Central College. The Redhawks (1-2) are trying to stop a two-game skid.

North opened the season with a 45-13 loss to New Trier on Aug. 22 but has won back-to-back games since. The Huskies beat Libertyville 21-14 in overtime on Aug. 28, then handled Barrington 21-7 on Sept. 4. Jack Zitko's 80-yard touchdown reception and Brady Knott's 22-yard scoring run provided bright spots in the Week 1 loss, according to the Chicago Tribune. North has held its last two opponents to a combined 21 points.

Central's season has gone the other direction. After a 27-7 loss to Wheaton Warrenville South in the opener, the Redhawks rolled Lockport 42-21 on Aug. 28. Then Prospect, ranked No. 15 in the Tribune's Top 25, beat Central 45-14 on Sept. 4. Quarterback Simon Hayes connected with Mark Williams for a touchdown and hit Kyle Clark on an 85-yard scoring play in the loss, NCTV17 reported.

The crosstown game carries extra weight this fall under the IHSA's expanded playoff format. The Illinois High School Association grew its football postseason from 32 to 48 teams per classification starting this season, meaning teams can qualify with as few as three wins. Central head coach Mike Ulreich told the Central Times on Aug. 24 that the new format would not change how his team approaches rivalry games.

"When you play teams that are in your neighborhoods and are long-standing rivals, you're not gonna sit guys out," Ulreich said.

For Central at 1-2, a loss would make the road to a winning record steep. For North at 2-1, a win would put the Huskies at 3-1 heading into the second half of the season.

The game is played at North Central College (310 E. Benton Ave.), where the NCC Cardinals opened their own season Sept. 6 with a 44-21 win over Bethel. Quarterback Garret Wilson threw for 325 yards and four touchdowns in that opener, according to the Chicago Tribune.