Naperville Central senior receiver Christopher Bern had never played quarterback and didn’t think he ever would.

Even when backup quarterback Preston Kuta got hurt and Redhawks coach Mike Ulreich had Bern take reps in practice on Wednesday and Thursday, Bern figured it was just a precaution in case something happened to starter Jack Cook.

“No one expected that I would have to play,” Bern said. “I thought Jack was going to be fine. But he got hurt, and I had to step up.”

Indeed, the unthinkable happened Friday night when Cook suffered bruised ribs on a late hit in the third quarter against Neuqua Valley. Bern relieved him and carried the ball on every snap the rest of the way, finishing with 67 yards rushing on 15 carries.

That included 10 carries for 41 yards as the visiting Redhawks ran the last 5:08 off the clock to secure a 21-7 DuPage Valley Conference victory.

It was a surreal experience for Bern, who is used to having the ball in his hands, but only after making a catch. He had two receptions Friday, including a 55-yard touchdown catch on a pass from Cook that completed the scoring with 24 seconds left in the first half.

“We’ve been practicing wildcat just in case a situation like this happens,” Cook said. “We honestly thought it was going to be me cramping a lot because I’m known to cramp every day. They didn’t think it was going to be on a cheap hit like that.”

Cook, a senior, was having a good game until the injury. He scored on runs of 1 yard and 12 yards to give the Redhawks (4-1, 2-0) a 14-0 lead.

Neuqua Valley (2-3, 1-1) got on the board with Kiet Truong’s 55-yard touchdown pass to Carter Stare with 34 seconds left in the second quarter.

Cook then asked Ulreich a question.

“I was like, ‘Coach, are we going to knee it?’” Cook said. “(He replied) ‘Hell, no, we’re not going to knee it. We’re going to take a shot and get another score on the board.”

That’s exactly what happened. Cook fired a dart to Bern, who tiptoed down the left sideline for the longest play of the game and a 21-7 lead.

That figured to be plenty of cushion for Naperville Central considering the way its defense was playing. The Redhawks forced four turnovers, including interceptions by Logan Ellison and Daniel Nussbaum.

Even so, it didn’t calm Bern’s jitters when he took over from Cook.

“Our coach was talking about preparation all week, and I was nervous,” Bern said. “At practice, I was not really doing well. I went home, and I was practicing the plays by myself in my basement, and it really helped out because I did good here today.”

Ulreich practices what he preaches and was prepared for any eventuality.

“We found out Tuesday that Preston wasn’t going to play,” Ulreich said. “I have this book on my shelf, ‘The Genius of Desperation.’ It’s a history of the NFL, and it’s about innovation. In that book, there’s some chapters on the wildcat.

“I snapshotted those pages, and I sent them to our coaching staff and said if Jack goes down, we have to get Chris the ball. Let’s just put him back there and snap it to him.”

Ulreich was asked why he picked Bern in the first place.

“He’s a wrestler. He’s a rugby kid. He’s a competitor,” Ulreich said. “So we put the ball in his hands, and we knew what he was going to do with it.

“It was ugly on Wednesday, but we repped it again Thursday, so it worked out.”

Bern had been a running back in eighth grade but has played receiver ever since. After the first series Friday, things got easier. Four of his carries went for first downs, including three on the final drive.

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“I was messed up a little bit in practice, but in the game, we got it down,” Bern said. “I was more comfortable out there.

“My coach asked if I could get that first down. I was like, ‘Yeah, I got you, coach.’”

Bern ended up enjoying it.

“It was amazing,” he said. “Leading the offense was something I’ve never experienced before. It was the best feeling I could ever have.”

Cook said his injury isn’t serious, and he expects to be fine for the Redhawks’ showdown with Naperville North at North Central College on Sept. 29. Will Bern get more playing time at quarterback?

“I don’t know,” Cook said. “As long as we win, I’m fine with whatever.”

Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.