Metea Valley takes out frustration on West Aurora
West Aurora took the brunt of a determined Metea Valley football team.
Opening with 6 unanswered touchdowns, the host Mustangs beat Upstate Eight Conference Valley Division foe West Aurora 42-13 Friday in Aurora.
"We felt like we didn't give our best effort last week and we let one slip away. So we were a very frustrated and motivated team all week," Metea coach Ben Kleinhans said of a Week 3 14-3 loss to Bartlett.
"This couldn't get here quick enough, Friday night, just to go out and play well and play the way we know we can play," he said.
Metea (2-2, 1-1) hopped into the driver's seat with a 21-point second quarter. Within three plays from scrimmage Bryson Oliver scored on a 3-yard run and linebacker Ben Belskis returned a fumble 21 yards for a touchdown after defensive lineman Mikqual Pines caused the turnover.
"At that point I knew we were taking control, but we never stop playing till the end of the game. We just keep fighting four quarters," said Oliver, who got things going on a 59-yard punt return for a first-quarter touchdown and finished with 100 yards rushing on 7 carries.
West Aurora (0-4, 0-2) answered Oliver's punt return score - he'd planned to fair catch it - by cruising downfield. Running back T.J. Jackson and quarterback Johnathon Doyle led the Blackhawks to four first downs and a Metea roughing penalty had West Aurora first-and-goal at the 8-yard line.
A stumble backward, Ervin DeJordan's tackle for loss and Erin Morgan's sack on fourth-and-goal stymied the Blackhawks.
The touchdowns by Oliver and Belskis for a quick 21-0 Metea lead at 7:17 of the second quarter were the beginning of the end for West Aurora.
"We stopped and we let the defense take control of us," said Blackhawks senior Jackson, who along with Doyle scored a fourth-quarter touchdown, and finished with 70 yards rushing. "Next week we've got to get it together and drive down the field and score every time we get the ball."
Belskis, nephew of former Downers Grove South coach and current Aurora Central Catholic defensive coordinator John Belskis, scored his first varsity touchdown.
"I was just there for help and the ball popped out and it took a good bounce right in my stomach and I just took it all the way," he said.
A 17-yard touchdown pass from Kyle Mooney to Nick Dodson gave Metea Valley a 28-0 halftime lead. The Mustangs led 42-0 with 7:14 left in the third quarter on Kris King's 3-yard catch and Maurice Burkley's 19-yard run. Kicker Michael Sfikas went 6-for-6 on conversions and boomed 5 of 6 kickoffs for touchbacks.
Like Kleinhans, West Aurora coach Nate Eimer didn't like his team's Week 3 effort. He didn't like Friday's result, but the Doyle and Jackson scores gave him something to appreciate.
"We quit last week. This week we didn't quit," Eimer said. "It's not where we want to be but it's better than last week. That's what you've got to build on."
Aurora Christian 43, St. Ignatius 28:
Aurora Christian is getting there.
"We grew up today, we got older, but we're still in need of closing a team out when we have to. These (Chicago Catholic League) teams are legit."
Aurora Christian (4-0, 1-0 CCL White) scored on a Jacolby Maxwell kickoff return for a 35-21 third-quarter lead, but St. Ignatius pulled within 35-21 and again drove to midfield late in the fourth quarter.
Jeremiah Wright, who had been taken out earlier in the game, came in at outside linebacker and on successive plays made a tackle for loss and a sack.
Aurora Christian, getting in position with a long pass play from Austin Bray to Dusty Barrett, scored the capper on Nick Edlund's inside run. Earlier, Edlund scored on a long interception return.
"I'll give the kids credit, they made the play defensively that they had to make, and they did last week," Beebe said. "it was not in any way a pretty win at all."