McCarty, Neuqua Valley power past rival Waubonsie Valley
Final score: Neuqua Valley 38, Waubonsie Valley 21.
Records: Waubonsie Valley 2-3, 1-1 DuPage Valley Conference. Neuqua Valley 2-3, 1-1.
Player of the game: Conor McCarty powered the Wildcats’ offense with 202 rushing yards on 21 carries and three touchdowns, including an 80-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. McCarty rushed for 95 yards and a touchdown in the first half before adding 107 yards and two scores after halftime.
Other statistical leaders: McCarty led the Wildcats with 202 rushing yards on 21 carries and three touchdowns, including an 80-yard touchdown run. Ben Travis completed 16 of 20 passes for 193 yards and one touchdown, while also rushing for 50 yards on 15 carries. Lucas Balgro led Neuqua Valley with 68 receiving yards on three catches, while Josh Repmann added 64 yards on six receptions. Waubonsie Valley finished with 146 total yards of offense, including 85 passing yards. Neuqua Valley had 434 total yards, including 193 passing yards.
Turning point: The turning point came early in the second half. Waubonsie Valley tied the game at 21-21 with a 1-yard touchdown run, but McCarty answered with an 80-yard touchdown run just 27 seconds later, putting Neuqua Valley back in front 27-21. The Wildcats never relinquished the lead, adding another touchdown in the fourth quarter before a late field goal sealed the 38-21 victory.
First-half highlights: The Wildcats got off to a fast start, scoring on their opening drive when McCarty broke free for a 15-yard touchdown run and Freddie Rook converted his kick for a 7-0 lead. The Wildcats ended the first quarter with a 7-0 lead. In the second quarter the Warriors answered with a 26-yard touchdown run to make the score 7-7. Neuqua responded with a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and Rook’s extra point to regain the lead 14-7 with 4:07 left in the half. The Warriors answered with a touchdown to tie the game at 14-14 before the Wildcats added a 3-yard touchdown pass from Travis to Balgro and Rook’s extra point to take a 21-14 lead into halftime. McCarty rushed for 95 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries, while Travis completed all 11 of his passes for 140 yards and a touchdown.
Second-half highlights: The Wildcats pulled away in the second half, scoring 17 unanswered points. A 1-yard touchdown run gave Waubonsie Valley a 21-21 tie with 8:07 left in the third quarter, and McCarty followed with an 80-yard touchdown run less than a minute later to extend the advantage to 28-21. McCarty added a 7-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, and Rook converted his kick with 11:55 remaining to make the score 35-21. With 1:12 remaining in the match, Rook capped off the game with a 23-yard field goal and his sixth kick confirming a Wildcats win. Neuqua Valley finished with 434 total yards, including 241 rushing yards.
X-factor: The Wildcats’ rushing attack was the difference, as Neuqua Valley finished with 241 rushing yards on 39 carries, averaging 6.2 yards per carry. McCarty accounted for 202 of those yards and all three of Neuqua Valley’s rushing touchdowns.
Quote: “We came together as a team. We talked all week about coming together as a unit and playing as one. We had each other’s backs. It’s all about the response now. We can’t control what happened in the past — we can control our effort and how hard we practice. I was really proud of our kids,” said Wildcats head coach Bill Ellinghaus.