Neuqua Valley's long 'playoff' run comes to end

When you've essentially been playing -- and winning -- playoff games since Oct. 5, as the Neuqua Valley football team has after starting the season 2-4, the emotional toll can be draining.

The Wildcats found out just how draining Friday night as they tried time and time again to tap into that reserve of emotional energy but kept coming up empty in a season-ending 43-14 Class 8A second-round playoff defeat to visiting Lincoln-Way East.

"I think we showed quite a bit of resiliency this year," said Neuqua Valley coach Bryan Wells. "I think if you look, there are not many teams in the state that started 1-3 (or 2-4) and made the playoffs, but it takes an emotional toll to get here.

"It's been a hard push to get to this point, but I felt that if we got through this one, we might've pushed all the way through."

It didn't help that the 14th-seeded Wildcats (6-5), fresh off an upset of No. 3 Lyons Twp., were facing a No. 6 Lincoln-Way East team that appears to be rounding into tip-top shape. After controlling Naperville Central in their playoff opener, the Griffins (9-2) dominated all categories in stifling the Wildcats.

Running backs Dan Cebula and Lloyd Burchett both eclipsed the 100-yard mark by halftime, Lincoln-Way East finished with 308 yards on the ground and quarterback Spencer Stanek threw 3 touchdown passes, while the defense held the Wildcats to 43 yards rushing, intercepted 3 passes and recorded 4 sacks and a safety.

"For the second round of the playoffs to come out and roll like this, it's something special," said Cebula, who had touchdown runs of 1 and 35 yards in the second quarter. "We just got it going and they couldn't figure out what to stop."

The Griffins opened the scoring late in the first quarter on Stanek's 3-yard toss to Dan Fiorenza. Cebula then sandwiched his TD runs around Stanek's swing pass to Burchett, who took it 29 yards to paydirt as Lincoln-Way East sprinted to a 28-0 lead.

Neuqua Valley was able to garner a slight glimmer of hope when Josh Schaeffer wove 56 yards with a short Alex Lincoln pass to make it 28-7 at the half.

The glimmer was extinguished in the third quarter when Burchett swept 4 yards for a score, Lincoln slipped in his own end zone for a safety and Stanek connected with Kyle Smith for a 29-yard score and 43-7 lead. Ryan Brown's 6-yard hookup with Regi Miskel gave the Wildcats a consolation score with one minute to play.