Naperville North junior quarterback Dante Colasante’s first two varsity starts didn’t come at the best time to get his feet wet.

After senior quarterback Josiah Nothacker suffered an ankle injury two weeks ago, Colasante was tapped to replace him in the regular-season finale, and he started again in the first round of the Class 8A playoffs on Friday.

But Colasante sees a silver lining.

“It’s really helped me grow as a player to get experience recently and to know what it’s like out on the field instead of still wondering,” he said. “It gives me a lot of confidence going into my senior year. I’m going to feel pretty comfortable in the system and know the playbook like the back of my hand.”

The 5-foot-9, 175-pound Colasante also knows he can rise to the challenge on the field. He completed 14 of 19 passes for 95 yards and a touchdown during the 22nd-seeded Huskies’ season-ending 17-7 road loss to 11th-seeded Oswego on Friday.

Naperville North quarterback Dante Colasante (13) looks for an open receiver after faking a handoff to teammate William Eloe (17) during a game against Oswego in the first round of the Class 8A playoffs on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. (Mark Black / Naperville Sun)

Naperville North (6-4) still led midway through the fourth quarter after a 13-play, 80-yard touchdown drive to begin the game. Senior running back William Eloe, who rushed for 113 yards on 27 carries against the Panthers (8-2), accounted for 47 yards on that drive.

Colasante didn’t throw the ball until the final play of the possession, but he and junior wide receiver Jack Zitko connected on a 24-yard touchdown pass.

“That play became a little bit of a scramble drill, which can be a quarterback’s best friend,” Colasante said. “You have the option to run or find your guy. It’s whatever you like best at that moment, and it’s pretty reliable. I have a really good connection with my receivers, and we got it done on that play.”

Colasante positioned the Huskies for more points right before halftime, but a 12-play drive ended on a missed 29-yard field-goal attempt.

Naperville North clung to a 7-3 lead until Oswego senior wide receiver Mariano Velasco broke free for a 61-yard touchdown catch with 6:53 remaining in the fourth quarter. Junior linebacker Camren Loghmani then returned a fumble 28 yards for a touchdown to dash the Huskies’ comeback bid.

Although Naperville North struggled to mount any more substantive drives, Colasante was efficient throughout the game.

“He played a gutsy game and definitely got some valuable experience,” Naperville North coach Sean Drendel said. “It’s unfortunate with the situation, but I think he handled himself with poise and did a lot of really good things. He put us in position to win the game, and we just didn’t do enough in the end. But we expect to see him continue to grow.”

Colasante’s growth was jump-started when Nothacker was forced out of the Huskies’ 14-6 win over Lincoln-Way East on Oct. 17. A week later, Colasante won his first start, a 21-15 victory over crosstown rival Naperville Central.

“The game is a lot faster up here, and you just have to trust your reads and prepare well,” he said. “I feel like the most important part of the game is in the film work during the week in preparation so you can react quickly once the game starts.”

Naperville North quarterback Dante Colasante (13) looks to pass the ball during a game against Oswego in the first round of the Class 8A playoffs in Oswego on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. (Mark Black / Naperville Sun)

Nothacker played an important role in that.

“In our film sessions, we would always sit together, and he would give me some pointers or tell me about something that he made a mistake on,” Colasante said. “On a certain pass play, he told me not to force the ball into a tight window, which he did early in the year. We ended up running that play tonight, and it went exactly where he wanted me to throw the ball.”

Colasante’s other teammates got behind him too.

“Dante has been a guy who, when his number is called, he’s stepped up every single time,” Naperville North senior tight end Finn Bretag said. “I’d bet on him 10 times out of 10. I love that dude. I count on him to make big plays, and he delivers them, and there’s nothing I enjoy more than blocking for him.”

Colasante may have only two varsity starts on his resume, but he understands the importance of a balanced offense.

“We definitely relied on the run game, and that takes weight off you as a quarterback,” he said. “It also frees up space in the defense. They start coming up to stop the run, and then you can just drop it over the top of them.”

Steve Reaven is a freelance reporter.

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/11/01/8a-football-oswego-naperville-north-dante-colasante/