No. 6 Downers Grove North reloads for another shot at a state title

Downers Grove North was one of the best stories in football last season. There were three West Suburban Silver teams in the preseason rankings last year: Glenbard West, Lyons and York. The Trojans were left out.

Downers North was on everyone’s radar as a quality team, but it turned out young quarterback Owen Lansu and little-known running back Noah Battle were better than most observers realized.

The Trojans finished third in the conference but rolled to the Class 7A title game, where they lost to Mount Carmel.

Battle has moved on to Wisconsin-Whitewater, but Downers North coach Joe Horeni has Lansu back to go with 13 other starters.

The Trojans, ranked No. 6 in the preseason, won’t sneak up on anyone this year.

‘‘It’s good for the kids that they’ve had success and performed at a high level in pressure situations,’’ Horeni told the Sun-Times. ‘‘But the expectations are there now. People know about us.’’

Lansu, a 6-2, 190-pound junior, recently committed to Minnesota. He threw for 2,106 yards and 26 touchdowns last season.

‘‘We have pretty much all of our passing attack back from last year, and my plan is to take a big step forward,’’ Lansu said. ‘‘We might be more of a committee at running back, but we’ll be able to run the ball well. I’ll be doing more of that, too. But we will be pass-first and play to our strengths.’’

Receivers Charlie Cruse and Oliver Thulin are two of Lansu’s favorite targets. Cruse will be counted on to provide some of the big moments that Battle specialized in last year.

‘‘We proved all the haters wrong last year,’’ Cruse said. ‘‘Now over the summer we have been pushing each other to raise the standards. It’s not just making state but winning the state championship game.’’

Senior Joe Edwards, the younger brother of Bills lineman David Edwards, will play tight end and linebacker.

Several coaches around the area have mentioned that getting a chance to play Loyola or Mount Carmel is an eye-opening experience for their teams. It raises the bar. Edwards agreed.

‘‘It was really helpful,’’ Edwards said. ‘‘It humbled a lot of guys and proved how much harder we have to work to get to that spot. I’ve been telling the younger guys that everything is so much quicker on varsity and then even faster when you get to those teams late in the playoffs.’’

Downers North, which is generally not a powerhouse, has spent several years in the spotlight in basketball and football recently.

‘‘A lot of it has to do with the kids,’’ Horeni said. ‘‘We’ve had some crossover athletes, like Owen Thulin. But our administration believes in our athletics, and they support it. Add that to great coaches that work hard overall and in the community, and good things happen.’’