Belvidere North senior cornerback Jackson Johnson and his football teammates never lost belief in themselves, even if some people in their high school did.

The undefeated Blue Thunder visited Cary-Grove in a Class 5A state quarterfinal game Friday night, looking to exact revenge after it was blown out by C-G almost exactly one year earlier in Cary. 1 of 14

Cary-Grove's Brady Elbert sacks Belvidere North's Andrew Bucci during an IHSA Class 5A quarterfinal playoff football game on Friday, November 14, 2025, at Cary-Grove High School, in Cary. (Gregory Shaver/Gregory Shaver )

Some people, apparently, expected a similar result.

“I even heard it in my own school,” Johnson said. “Some students, some teachers were saying, ‘It was a great season. But you got Cary-Grove now.’ ”

This year,

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