Football Notes: Nubin puts North Stars on his shoulders

ST. CHARLES – Tyler Nubin had just ripped off a run that put St. Charles North in the red zone as the fourth quarter of the Class 7A semifinal against Mount Carmel raged on Nov. 17.

A flag thrown on the back side of the play wiped it away instantly. The scoreboard still read 14-14.

Nubin, who was over 100 yards rushing at that point, returned to the sidelines.

A simple nod and quick eye lock with coach Robert Pomazak told him all he needed to know.

“He looked up and said, ‘We’re still going to win this game,’” Pomazak said after the game.

The North Stars were going to either win or lose with the ball in Nubin’s hands.

A blocked Mount Carmel field-goal attempt with a minute left sent the game into overtime. Nubin, with immense pressure exerted on his shoulders, found his way into the end zone twice as North shocked Mount Carmel 27-21 in double overtime.

History continued to be written. The North Stars advanced to the program’s first-ever state championship game. Nazareth, which defeated defending 7A champion Batavia in the other semifinal, is the championship game opponent.

Nubin, a Minnesota commit, finished with 135 rushing yards.

He started the game at defensive back and receiver.

“Everybody on the field is working together,” Nubin said after the game. “The coaches trust in me to make plays, and they just put the ball in my hands [and] I just do the best I can.”

He made several play beyond the touchdowns.

Before his second touchdown on the day with seven minutes remaining in the third quarter, Nubin had a Marshawn Lynch-esque 18-yard run in which he dragged and trucked multiple defenders with him down to the 1-yard line.

With around five minutes left in the first half, a Nubin wildcat run almost resulted in a fumble. Instead, he just lost seven yards. The next carry, he gained it all back.

Nubin exited briefly holding his right wrist or hand, but was back in at receiver after a timeout.

It obviously didn’t matter.

“I’ve never witnessed this before,” said Nubin as fans cascaded onto the field in a frenzy after the improbable win. “It’s something special. ... It’s an unbelievable feeling.”

Doing it for big brother

For quarterback Kyler Brown, it was a feeling he could hardly describe.

After all, this season defies whatever conventional wisdom outside expectations can predict.

“We’ve always said as a freshman this is the team to do it [get to state],” former starting quarterback Peyton Brown said earlier in June.

Kyler Brown succeeded his older brother as the starter after Peyton’s season-ending injury the first week of the regular season. Kyler has carried the torch that Peyton was supposed to under center.

Peyton, to his credit, has dutifully stood by as Kyler’s supporter, coach and best friend.

Kyler knows who he’s playing for.

“[Peyton] said: ‘This is your game,’” Kyler Brown said regarding a pregame message. “Having him on the field today was just a big, big impact for me. It really helps me and calms me down during the games.”