Waubonsie Valley holds off St. Charles North comeback

In baseball, momentum is known as the next day's starting pitcher.

The definition in football is Kenny Clay.

Every time St. Charles North was about to wipe out a 21-point fourth-quarter deficit Friday night in St. Charles, Clay thwarted those plans.

The Waubonsie Valley senior quarterback enjoyed a career night, completing 15 of 19 passes for 276 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for 2 scores, enabling the Warriors to hold off the North Stars' 21-point fourth quarter and prevail 35-28.

"All week we were told, 'You are good in spurts, good in spurts,'" Clay said. "This game was constant. And that's what we are trying to get to."

When St. Charles North started its comeback down 28-7, after each big play different North Stars on the sidelines shouted, "We've got the momentum now!"

And they certainly seemed to, first when Jeff Stolzenburg returned a kickoff 55 yards, setting up his own 32-yard touchdown reception. Then Dirk Schmitt found himself on the receiving end of Jake Bergren's second touchdown pass, a 13-yarder that made it a 28-21 game with 7:15 left.

But that momentum switched sidelines as quickly as Clark engineered a 4-play, 80-yard march for a 35-21 lead. Clark got the drive going with two first-down passes to Mark Szott (7 catches, 121 yards), the North Stars helped with a pair of 15-yard penalties, and Tre Clark capped it with a 13-yard run.

Another Stolzenburg touchdown catch, this a spectacular one-hand catch from 18 yards out with a defender holding his left arm, again brought the North Stars within a touchdown at 35-28 with 2:14 left.

"A little bit of luck I guess," Stolzenburg said. "I stuck one arm and a leg out there and just reeled it in."

Again Clark had the answer, carrying for nine and six yards on the next two plays that gave Waubonsie Valley a first down and let the Warriors run out the clock.

The Warriors (3-1, 2-0) moved a game ahead of St. Charles North (3-1, 1-1) in the Upstate Eight. They outgained St. Charles North 465-275.

"It's a huge win," Waubonsie Valley coach Paul Murphy said. "It gets us to 2-0 in the conference. We're starting out with six potential playoff teams in our first six games and we're 3-1 in our first four."

Scott Kuehn also enjoyed a big day for Waubonsie, catching 4 passes for 84 yards including a 56-yard touchdown while drilling 5 extra points. Clark ran for 119 yards and two scores.

The number that jumped out first, though, was zero - Waubonsie's turnovers Friday after committing 13 in the first three weeks.

"The big thing was no turnovers," Clay said. "We preached that all week."

Bergren, in his first full game without rotating at quarterback, misfired on 8 straight passes in the first half, then hit 11 straight in the second half to finish 15 of 25 for 159 yards, 3 touchdowns and no interceptions. He also started the scoring with a 61-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.

Clark's 52-yard touchdown tied the game at 7 early in the second quarter, then Clay's 2-yard keeper with 37.1 seconds left put Waubonsie Valley ahead 14-7 at halftime.

After hitting on just 1 of 5 third-down conversions in the first half, Waubonsie Valley converted three straight on their 12-play, 79-yard touchdown drive to open the third quarter. Clay capped it with his second touchdown scamper, eluding a would-be sack in the backfield, reversing field and streaking in down the left sideline.

"Give them all the credit in the world," St. Charles North coach Mark Gould said. "You knew they had speed and it was going to be really tough to match. Speed we had not seen this year. (Allowing) 35 points is a surprise but we knew they were good."

St. Charles North finished with 116 yards on the ground, 115 coming in the first half, and 159 through the air, 150 of those in the second half.

"Once we got into a rhythm we just clicked," Bergren said. "We just kept moving, my receivers were there, the offense was playing well, the line was there for me."

Stolzenburg led the receivers with 6 catches for 86 yards and 2 scores.

"Trailing at the end of the half that was the first time we've been trailing," Stolzenburg said. "Coming out second half we were excited. We were excited first half but it just wasn't there. In the second half we came out more fired up."