Giants complete perfect conference campaign — the first since 2014. Playoffs on deck.

He could have been warmer, but otherwise, Highland Park football coach Anthony Kopp was in a celebratory mood Friday night.

Kopp was doused with ice water following after his team capped an undefeated conference schedule with a 49-0 rout of Maine East on Friday, Oct. 24, in Park Ridge.

Starting the season with a 2-2 record, the Giants won their final five games — all Central Suburban North contests – in dominant fashion to finish the regular season 7-2 and in a position to host at least one IHSA Class 6A playoff game.

Wheaton-Warrenville South (6-3) will come to Wolters Field at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 1.

“It feels great,” Kopp said of his team’s regular season. “I’ve told you many times our goal is to win conference, and to wrap that up and go 5-0 for the first time since 2014, we did that. That was our goal. Sometimes in the North, 4-1 doesn’t always win it. You have to push for those five (wins).”

The Giants jumped all over the undermanned Blue Demons in the finale.

Junior back Jayden Corchado had two first-half touchdown runs, and senior receiver Lucas Gordon two first-half touchdown catches — his 13th and 14th scores of the season.

Backup quarterback Sam Gaddini added a pair of touchdown runs — 7 and 5 yards respectively — on the day.

The Giants other touchdown came on linebacker John Dugan Hever’s scoop and score.

Friday’s performance was the Giants’ second straight shutout (28-0 against Niles West on Oct. 17) and third in five league games. In fact, Kopp pointed out, Highland Park’s starting defense did not allow any league points this season — Niles North’s 13 came against the second unit and Vernon Hills’ seven came on a kickoff return.

“I think we have great chemistry,” said Jacob Youra, a senior defensive end. “Gabe (Leon, linebacker) brings it all together, but I think it’s everyone. Everyone has done their part all year.”

In 2023, Highland Park also posted a 7-2 regular season and then earned a playoff victory. Last season, though, the Giants took a step backward, finishing 3-6 with the three wins coming in the final three games.

Youra said the Giants used the subpar season as motivation, which they took into the weight room.

“I think it was just the work in the offseason,” Youra said as key to this year’s squad. “We came from a disappointing season last year and I think we all knew that and put in the work. Everyone was at our preseason lifts, all of our preseason stuff.”

Anchored by a star, Gordon, who holds all of the program’s receiving records, Highland Park jumped out to a 2-0 record before losing its next two (to Conant and Schaumburg) by a combined six points.

Those difficult losses have helped the Giants find their way.

“It’s important to go through games like that and be able to learn from it,” Kopp said. “That was a key point coming in and coming out of them. These are close games, and we had a couple critical errors in those games. We need to clean that up to improve and get better.

“That’s something where maybe if you pull those out and win, you don’t quite learn as much. Ultimately, looking back, we did learn from those games.”

Over the next week, Kopp said the Giants will prepare as they normally do, just for a different opponent.

He said his squad will take a lot of confidence and momentum into the Class 6A postseason.

“The players are playing well, playing confident, playing fast, playing physical,” he said. “… We’re not playing scared. This is a confident group.”

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