Throy Nightingale Jr. scored five rushing touchdowns Friday, Oct. 16, powering New Trier to a 42-28 victory over Evanston. The game was the first high school football game played at Northwestern's rebuilt Ryan Field.

An estimated 25,000 fans packed the stadium, believed to be the largest at an Illinois high school game in at least 25 years. It was also the biggest turnout in the 113-year history of the New Trier-Evanston rivalry. NBC Chicago's Patrick Fazio noted on X that more than 26,000 tickets sold for the game, exceeding the announced attendance at Northwestern's own home game against Ball State the following day.

The win capped an 8-1 regular season for the Trevians, their best regular-season finish since 2016. New Trier will earn a first-round bye in the IHSA Class 8A state playoffs. Evanston fell to 5-4. Both teams were set to learn their postseason bracket placement when IHSA pairings were announced Saturday night, Oct. 17.

Nightingale, a senior transfer from Notre Dame Prep, finished with 181 yards on 24 carries. His biggest moments came in the fourth quarter. After Evanston tied the score at 28-28 on a touchdown pass from Aiden Payne to Johnson on the first play of the period, New Trier answered with an 80-yard, seven-play drive capped by Nightingale's 2-yard plunge. He later sealed the win with an 11-yard scoring run.

Purdue-bound quarterback Jackie Ryder added 172 passing yards, including a 57-yard touchdown to Paul Liang in the second quarter.

Evanston quarterback Payne threw for a career-high 242 yards on 10-of-17 passing but was intercepted three times. All three turnovers led to New Trier touchdowns.

New Trier head coach Brian Doll said the Trevians committed to the running game at halftime after struggling in the passing attack.

"We made a commitment at halftime to run the ball and try to grind it out," Doll said, sports writer Dennis Mahoney posted on Patch. "Our guys up front really worked their butts off."

Evanston head coach Miles Osei, still seeking his first win in the rivalry, praised both teams and the venue. He said the game showed what football means to the Evanston community and suggested Ryan Field would be a great site for the state championship.

The all-time series between the two programs, which dates to 1913, now stands at 57-55 in Evanston's favor with six ties.