Matt Russo touches the football on every offensive snap for Naperville Central. The 5-foot-9, 235-pound senior center also runs the show before each one.
Russo calls out defensive fronts, directs blocking assignments and sets pass-protection schemes at the line of scrimmage. Head coach Mike Ulreich told the Chicago Tribune that Russo handles all the offensive line's front calls and run calls.
That preparation paid off Friday, Sept. 25, when the Redhawks beat Metea Valley 36-29 in a DuPage Valley Conference homecoming game at Memorial Stadium. Senior running back Landon Nelson posted a career-best 219 yards on the ground, and the team rushed 35 times for 257 yards, according to NCTV17.
The win didn't come easily. Naperville Central turned the ball over four times in the first half and trailed three separate times. Quarterback Simon Hayes threw two interceptions and attempted only four passes after halftime. The Redhawks leaned on their offensive line instead, closing the game with 10 consecutive runs capped by three Hayes kneel-downs.
Hayes said the coach told the team that everyone in the stadium knew they were going to run it, and there was nothing the defense could do about it. He credited Russo and the rest of the line for stepping up after his turnovers.
Russo didn't play tackle football until his freshman year at Naperville Central. He started at center on the sophomore team, then shifted to right tackle for seven games as a junior when the coaching staff needed a fill-in at the position. When the center spot opened this fall, he moved back to the role he knows best.
Russo and Hayes have been teammates since the freshman B team. Hayes said watching pregame film of Russo diving to make blocks means the world to him as a quarterback.
Ulreich's weekly film sessions highlight what he calls "tough, gritty-type plays" rather than the highlight-reel catches that show up in the newspaper. Russo, he said, puts his body on the line every single snap.
A Mark Williams 55-yard touchdown catch from Hayes in the third quarter gave the Redhawks a lead they would not relinquish, according to the Tribune's Week 6 recap. The victory improved Naperville Central's record to 3-3.
This week in Naperville sports
Naperville Central football (Week 7): at Cardinal Ritter High School, St. Louis. Kickoff time has not been announced. The Redhawks carry a 3-3 record into the road trip.
