Ammar Banire triumphant in return from injury, leads Oswego past Naperville Central in first round
Clara Robinson is an educator-turned-journalist, having spent 5 years teaching in Naperville’s public schools before transitioning to reporting. She earned her Master’s in Education from Loyola University Chicago and now focuses on the intersection of education policy and community impact.
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It’s third-and-3 on Naperville Central’s 31-yard line.There’s roughly 4:30 left in the first quarter. Oswego has the ball, looking to take an early lead in its playoff opener on Friday night.For the first time in six games, Ammar Banire stands in the Panthers’ backfield.The running back takes a handoff from QB Drew Kleinhans and darts to his left before cutting back inside near the 20-yard line.A few seconds later, Banire is trotting out of the back of the end zone, a la the legendary Bo Jackson. On his first snap back in pads, Banire found the end zone, providing an early spark for Oswego that helped the Panthers beat Naperville Central 28-7 in a Class 8A first-round playoff game at Ken Pickerill Stadium in Oswego.“I’ve been waiting since the day I got injured,” Banire said. “I already knew it was going to come.”Welcome back, @AmmarBanire! The senior RB rips off a 31-yard TD on his first play back from a foot injury that kept him out since Week 5, putting @Oswego_Football up 7-0 over