It’s salute the troops night at Lincoln-Way East, as the Griffins host Neuqua Valley for week three of football action! Griffins fans hope Lincoln-Way East scores, Neuqua Valley fans are hoping for the road victory. The Wildcats enter after a heartbreaking loss to Minooka last weekend, while the Griffins are looking to get their third consecutive shutout win, after claiming victory over Maine South and Kankakee to start the season. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
Neuqua’s defense looks good at the start, as Jonas Williams fakes the handoff but faces immediate pressure. He tries to run, but gets swarmed by Pierce Stevens and Jalen Vannoy for the sack. Laundry on the field was a penalty for the Griffins, so Neuqua forces a long down.
But on third and long, a few plays later, Williams rebounds, he now has plenty of time and throws over the middle to Matt Orban, who’s down at the two-yard line for a 26-yard pickup. Two plays later, Lincoln-Way East sticks to the air as Williams throws the slant to Jayden Cawthon for the quick touchdown pass. The point after is no good, which leaves the score at 6-0 Griffins after their opening drive.
Strong offense showing in the first half
On the next drive, Neuqua is forced to punt, but the punter mishandles the snap. He tries to run but is swarmed by multiple Griffins. The play is ruled down at the one, so it’s first and goal for the blue and white from the one-yard line. They would cash in the next play as Williams hands the rock to Brody Gish, and he surges in for another quick score. Add a 2-point conversion to make the score 14-0, at five minutes into the first quarter.
Gish is pushing through on the next drive, now near midfield, he takes the handoff and rumbles past the defense, with green grass ahead of him. He takes flight for a 49-yard touchdown run to make it a three-possession lead for the Griffins.
Near the same spot on their next drive, Lincoln-Way East makes it four for four on scoring drives. Williams finds Orban all alone, and he breaks two Neuqua tackles and gets a convoy in front of him. He tightropes down the sideline and breaks through for a 48 yard catch and run score as Lincoln-Way East scores, Neuqua Valley still not on the board and down by 27.
With seconds left in the first, there’s still time for scoring. Williams gets the snap, and as the buzzer beeps, he throws the deep three to Cawthon. He takes the long ball and scores another touchdown as time expires, making it 35-0 Griffins after the first quarter.
Lincoln-Way East scores 56 points on Neuqua Valley
Neuqua would respond in the second as Colton Maita is in for an injured Drake Mennecke. He throws to Andy Barkley who shakes off the tackle and dashes in for the score to put the Wildcats on the board. It’s the first points scored against Lincoln-Way East this season.
The Griffins look to go over 50, and on fourth down, backup QB Tyler Knollenberg throws a 50-50 ball to the endzone for Dominic Thomas. Thomas comes down with a remarkable catch as the 50-50 ball gets the blue and white over 50. Lincoln-Way Easy scores Neuqua Valley under table the with a final score of 56-7 score as they move to 3-0 on the season. They go on the road to play Lockport, while Neuqua falls to 1-2 and returns home to face Naperville Central next weekend.
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