St. Charles East 17, Neuqua Valley 14

For one night, St. Charles East's balanced offensive attack was just a little better than Neuqua Valley's human highlight show.

Senior quarterback Sam Gunther completed 15-of-29 passes for 158 yards, with 121 of those yards coming in the second half, while Chris Caci (11 carries, 87 yards) and backfield mate Wes Allen (22 carries, 80 yards) split the rushing chores during the Saints' 17-14 Homecoming victory over the Wildcats Friday night at Norris Stadium.

While inching closer to an Upstate Eight Conference title, the Saints (5-1, 4-0) also snapped a 4-year losing skid against the 3-time defending

conference champion Wildcats (2-4, 2-2).

Neuqua Valley had outscored the Saints by a lopsided 125-39 margin from 2003-06.

"I don't know if this is our Super Bowl," said Saints coach Ted Monken, "but this is our nemesis. Two years in a row, the conference championship has come down to our game. It's really nice to finally get over that hump."

Throughout the majority of the first half, the Saints once again were forced with an uphill climb.

An interception and 40-yard return by senior linebacker Britt Andros helped set up the Wildcats' first touchdown -- a 1-yard run by Anton Wilkins midway

through the second quarter.

With 21 seconds left in the first half, Gunther bought some time with a nifty play-action fake before tossing a 3-yard TD strike to sophomore tight end Jess Striedl. David Winn's PAT kick gave the Saints a 7-6 halftime advantage.

St. Charles East rode the momentum into the opening series of the second half, driving 47 yards on 12 plays before Winn's 35-yard field goal upped the margin to 10-6.

Caci, whose 46-yard run helped set up the Saints' first touchdown, scored the team's second TD -- on a 1-yard run with 8:56 remaining in the fourth quarter to make it 17-6.

The double-digit lead lasted all of 14 seconds, as Wilkins raced 96 yards for a touchdown with the ensuing kickoff, and a 2-point conversion pass from Alex Lincoln to Michael Camire helped the Wildcats close the gap to 17-14.

"It gave us a lot of life," Wildcats coach Bryan Wells said of Wilkins' electrifying return.

However, an interception by defensive back Tom Kuebel on a 4th-and-10 play inside Saints territory with 1:58 remaining effectively snuffed out Neuqua Valley's comeback bid.

"The offense did a good job and the defense did even better," said Saints receiver Matt Hammer, who finished with 10 catches for 128 yards -- with 108 yards coming in the second half.

Wilkins, meanwhile, provided the bulk of the Wildcats' offense with 165 yards rushing on 31 carries as well as the 96-yard kick return. He was in on more than 70 percent (31-of-44) of Neuqua Valley's offensive plays from scrimmage.

"I'd use the heck out of him, too," said Monken. "He's a great back."

While the Saints have their sights set on a conference championship, the Wildcats will be playing for the postseason lives the next three weeks while trying to bounce back from their third loss by 4 or less points this season.

"I've tried not to think about that because I'll drive myself crazy," said Wells. "A handful of plays and we'd be here with one loss. It's not where we're at though."