Senior Jacob Retana had his most combined yardage for the Riverside Brookfield High School football team’s prolific offense in its Class 6A playoff opener Friday.
For the second straight week, however, the Bulldogs ran out of comebacks and time. An equally-prolific Rolling Meadows offense held off the Bulldogs 29-23 to end the program’s best season since 2015 with an 8-2 record.
“What I enjoyed most was the amount of winning we had. I’ve never been on a team that won so much in any sport,” said Retana, also a lacrosse player and former baseball player. “I would have wished to get another group of game with this group of guys. But all things have got to come to an end. But I’m glad (this season) happened.”
The Bulldogs, seeded No. 3, nearly relived 2015, the last season with a playoff victory. They closed to 22-20 in the fourth quarter on a great 37-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Braeden Novak to Xavier Mrozik-DeJesus. Needing a two-point conversion to tie, Novak rolled left to pass and avoided one tackler but then was sacked.
On the next play from scrimmage, Rolling Meadows running back raced 68 yards for a TD. The Bulldogs responded and after two missed end-zone attempts got a 31–yard field goal by John Bielobradek with 1:28 left.
After the Bulldogs’ onside kick was unsuccessful, the Mustangs ran out the clock.
“It doesn’t take away from what we did this season, but we didn’t do enough to get the job done,” RBHS coach Sam Styler said.
“(I’m pleased) just the way the kids came together. We saw closeness with the group we hadn’t seen in quite some time. We had some good senior leaders, rebuilt what we tried to do. They’ve set the foundation for what this program can do for years to come.”
In their regular-season finale at Glenbard East for the Upstate Eight Conference East Division title Oct. 24, the Bulldogs got a dramatic TD and two-point conversion to lead with 15.1 seconds left but lost 45-43 on the Rams’ 47–yard field goal as time expired.
The Bulldogs just missed their first conference title since 2009 and first undefeated regular season since 2001. This was quite a turnaround from 2024, when the Bulldogs finished 4-5 and missed the playoffs after four straight trips.
“(Friday) didn’t feel real, being in that playoff atmosphere. It’s what we wanted. It’s what we were playing for,” Xavier-Mrozik said.
“Obviously, we didn’t get the result that we wanted but it was an unreal experience. The guys fought until the end. It’s sad that it has to come to an end, but I’m happy with how (the season) went.”
Retana collected 176 combined yards Friday between rushing (59) and receiving (117). His 8-yard TD run on the Bulldogs’ opening possession gave the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead before the Mustangs went ahead 15-7 with scores on their first two possessions.
Retana’s first TD reception this season, a 22-yarder, cut the gap to 15-14. The Mustangs scored again for a 22-14 halftime advantage that remained unchanged until the fourth quarter.
One huge change for RBHS this season was the return of Brad Vojack as offensive coordinator after a one-season absence. The Bulldogs scored at least 31 points eight times.
Rolling Meadows’ Luke Harvey (22) gets stopped by Riverside-Brookfield’s Miguel Arteaga (70), Benjamin Biskupic (8) and the Bulldog defense during a Class 6A first round playoff game Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 in Brookfield, IL. (Steve Johnston/Riverside-Brookfield Landmark) 
Rolling Meadows’ Jake Harvey (8) is tackled by Riverside-Brookfield’s Oscar Aguirre (2) and John Evans (10) during a Class 6A first round playoff game Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 in Brookfield, IL. (Steve Johnston/Riverside-Brookfield Landmark) 
Riverside-Brookfield’s Jayden Karas (22) looks for running room against Rolling Meadows during a Class 6A first round playoff game Friday, Oct. 31, 2025 in Brookfield, IL. (Steve Johnston/Riverside-Brookfield Landmark)
“It was a big switch. (Vojack) coming in was a big help and also a lot of seniors stepping up,” Retana said. “I think I had a pretty good game (Friday) but I think the rest of the team was mainly the reason.”
Novak emerged as a passing quarterback, collecting 291 yards Friday to surpass 1,700 with 23 TD passes. Novak formed quite a duo with returning junior starter Giancarlo Garcia, who also excelled at running back as the season progressed.
While RBHS was held to three touchdowns for only the second time this season, Rolling Meadows scored fewer than 30 points for just the third time.
“If we had a little more time, who knows what might have happened. But we fought,” Xavier-Mrozik said.
“I want to give huge props out to the defense. They fought the entire game. They were balling out that game. I think we left everything we had on the table there. We just didn’t get the result we wanted.”
The Bulldogs had their dramatic victories, too, beating Glenbard South 21-17 Oct. 3 after trailing 17-7 with 6:29 left with help from John Bielobradek recovering his onside kick.
Like Friday, Novak and Xavier-Mrozik also connected late in the Glenbard East game. Xavier-Mrozik’s 19-yard TD catch with a defender on him set up the two-pointer for the lead with Novak finding Garcia.
“(Beating Glenbard South) was truly something else. Everyone was emotional. It felt right out of a movie,” Mrozik-DeJesus said.
“(The Glenbard East TD) that’s one of my personal favorite moments. That was one of the craziest, most awesome, most unreal feelings I’ve ever felt in a sport.”