Pena, Neuqua run to win

Neuqua Valley running back Nate Pena didn't figure to get many carries in Friday's Class 8A playoff opener against No. 3 seed Lyons Twp.

But when standout halfback Anton Wilkins twisted his right ankle on a tackle after a long run late in the second quarter, Pena was thrust into the role of being the featured back on a rainy night in the near west suburbs.

Behind Pena's hard-nosed running and the outstanding play of a host of others such as wide receiver Conner Yearian, the 14th-seeded Wildcats pulled off what coach Bryan Wells called the "biggest win in school history," a 31-14 decision over the host Lyons in Western Springs.

The Wildcats (6-4) move on to host No. 6 seed Lincoln-Way East (8-2), a 24-10 winner over Naperville Central, in the second round.

Pena only had 2 carries for 5 yards in the first half, though one of those rushes was good for a touchdown. The junior finished with 113 yards on 19 carries.

His punishing style of running helped Neuqua Valley run off a lot of clock. Pena's longest run of the night, 22 yards, helped set up Nick Schneider's 22-yard field goal in the third quarter.

"I didn't really expect to play," Pena said. "I did what I had to do. They looked to me to step up and I stepped up to the plate. Our goal was to get a win -- that is what we did. It feels great."

The Wildcats built a commanding 28-7 lead by halftime thanks to 3 touchdown catches by Yearian. His third catch was highlight reel material. Quarterback Alex Lincoln threw a 20-yard pass into heavy coverage near the goal line. A defender tipped it, but Yearian kept his concentration to come up with a great catch for a touchdown.

"We made the catches that were needed," said Yearian, who had 5 receptions for 102 yards. "I thought it was going to be intercepted at first so I went to defend the ball. It just bounced out of his hands and I had to go for it."

This scoring strike came right after Neuqua Valley kept a drive alive with a trick play -- a fake punt. Backup quarterback Ryan Brown hit wideout Josh Schaffer for a 30-yard reception.

Lyons (8-2) made adjustments defensively in the second half to limit the passing game and it looked to take advantage of Wilkins being on the sidelines in crutches.

"After (Wilkins) went down I thought maybe we can get the defense a couple of stops and get the offense rolling, but (Pena) played his butt off and did a great job," said Lyons coach Jack Derning. "He stepped up when they needed him and we didn't have someone step up."

Despite not playing the last two quarters Wilkins ran for 98 yards on 12 carries. After the game the senior captain described his injury as "a little strain" and said he would be fine. Wells said his condition would be day-to-day.

Defensively, the Wildcats got 2 key interceptions from defensive back Mitch McGilliard and one by linebacker Britt Andros.