Watch now: NCHS football season ends in 17-7 loss to Jacobs in Class 7A second round | High school football

ALGONQUIN – Jacobs kept Normal Community out of the end zone in the second half as the Golden Eagles claimed a 17-7 win on Friday night in a Class 7A second-round playoff game.

Third-seeded NCHS finished 10-1, while No.19 Jacobs improved to 8-3 and advanced to the quarter-finals next week.

“It’s hard to end like this,” said NCHS head coach Jason Drengwitz. “I’m sure we’ll be feeling better in a few weeks, but it’s going to hurt for a long time.”

Jacobs dominated the first half, running 39 games against 16 for the NCHS, taking a 14-7 lead.

Nasir Canty’s 15- and 9-yard runs put Jacobs 14-0 up early in the second quarter. The NCHS closed the lead to 14-7 as Chase Mackey connected on a 71-yard touchdown pass to Terance Washington and Ryan Millmore did the extra kick.

NCHS’s Hunter Redman blocked a Jacobs punt with 3:49 left in the third quarter. The Ironmen recovered at the Golden Eagles’ 19-yard line, but a hit penalty pushed them back to 34. Three games later, pushed back to 41, the NCHS kicked.

Javon Smith of the Ironmen recovered a fumble in Jacobs’ 37th early in the fourth quarter. The NCHS came down to 12, helped by Smith’s 7-yard run on the fourth and third, but lost the ball on a fumble two games later.

Dominik Rocha of Jacobs had a 27-yard field goal with 2:56 left to close the scoring.

This story will be updated.