Neuqua Valley 45, St. Charles North 0
When his team sported a 2-4 record three weeks ago, even Neuqua Valley junior quarterback Alex Lincoln doubted whether the Wildcats could recover in time to reach the state playoffs.
"Heck, I didn't think we were going to make it to the playoffs," admitted Lincoln. "I hoped we would, but I didn't think it would happen."
Later tonight, the Wildcats (5-4, 5-2) will receive the official word from the Illinois High School Association if they will advance to the playoffs for the sixth consecutive season.
Lincoln played a big role in the regular-season finale, completing 10-of-18 passes for 213 yards and 4 touchdowns during the Wildcats' 45-0 Upstate Eight Conference triumph over host St. Charles North (5-4, 4-2) Friday night.
After an apparent 57-yard touchdown run by the North Stars' Kyle Harmon on the fifth play from scrimmage was called back because of a holding penalty, Neuqua Valley seized control, scoring touchdowns on each of its first four possessions while building a 28-0 halftime advantage.
"That didn't help," North Stars coach Mark Gould said of having the first-quarter TD nullified by a penalty. "But I don't know if it would have changed the whole outcome of the game.
"I thought they came out flying high. They came out ready to play and once they got some momentum going, we couldn't stop it."
Anton Wilkins (16 carries, 64 yards) capped a 6-play, 80-yard drive with a 9-yard touchdown -- the first of his 4 TDs for the game to make it 7-0.
Less than 2 minutes later, the Wildcats made it 14-0 as Lincoln tossed a 37-yard TD pass to Joshua Schaffer.
Schaffer, who missed the first 7 games of the season with a hip injury, finished as the game's leading receiver with 3 catches for 107 yards.
"It's great to have Josh back," said Lincoln. "He had a lot of big catches today. He was my go-to guy last year at the sophomore level."
A bad snap on a North Stars' punt helped set up the Wildcats' third TD -- a 7-yard shovel pass from Lincoln to Wilkins. The same duo hooked up on an 18-yard scoring strike late in the first half.
"We've simplified some things and he's much more comfortable, much more confident," Wildcats coach Bryan Wells said of his quarterback.
While Neuqua Valley's offense was clicking, its defense was equally impressive, limiting the North Stars to just 25 yards rushing.
"I'm proud that we've stepped up because people have been saying how bad we
are," said Wildcats linebacker Britt Andros. "It's really annoying to keep on hearing that it's our defense's fault."
One week after knocking off cross-town rival St. Charles East (28-26), St. Charles North will have to regroup before next weekend's expected postseason opener.
"We tried to guard against having a letdown," Gould said. "I didn't really feel like we had a big letdown even though the score maybe looks like we did. I just thought that Neuqua played really well."