St. Charles North proved to be a tough matchup for Highland Park in the opening round of the Class 7A state playoffs.
The host North Stars improved to 9-1 by downing HP 31-13 on Oct. 28.
The Giants ended the season 5-5.
HP’s Ryan Brincks had a strong performance in the losing cause. The two-way starter rushed for 134 yards and scored on a one-yard run in the fourth quarter
On the defensive side, Brincks came up with three solo tackles, 10 assists and one tackle for loss.
Noah Spitz of the Giants also made some standout plays. Just before halftime, he caught a 24-yard touchdown pass from John Sakos (10-23-3, 83 yards). He ended up with five catches for 40 yards.
Defensively, Spitz recorded three solo tackles and added a pass breakup.
The team’s other defensive leaders were Luke Baldwin (4 solo tackles, 9 assists), Tommy Motzko (4 solos, 8 assists) and Will Hanson (5 solos, 1 tackle for loss).
St. Charles was led by Lucas Segobiano (34 carries, 174 yards; 5 catches, 68 yards).
