Friday night football continues in Naperville. It’s a late-season DVC matchup with playoff implications as Naperville North travels to Neuqua Valley. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
William Eloe gets the Huskies off to a fast start
With two games remaining, both teams sit at 3-3, and they both need to win two out of their final three games to keep their seasons alive.
After the North defense forces a punt, Husky running back William Eloe takes the handoff and turns on the jets! Eloe outruns the Wildcat defense for the 68-yard, one-play touchdown as North leads 7-0.
The Wildcat offense is back on the field as quarterback Drake Mennecke finds his receiver, Ben Stefanski, to move the chains.
Later in the drive, Neuqua running back Andy Barkley catches the pitch, gets to the outside, and gets into the end zone for the touchdown, tying the game up 7-7 as we go into the second quarter.
Neuqua has all the momentum after forcing North to punt. The Wildcat running back breaks a tackle and gets upfield for the first down.
Andy Barkley continues his outstanding night for Neuqua
Continuing their success on the ground, Andy Barkley breaks through the Husky defense and follows his blocking, eventually finding the end zone for his second touchdown! Early in the second, Neuqua leads 14-7.
A big play on their next drive for the blue and orange offense as receiver Christian Briggs hauls in this contested catch to set up the offense in the red zone.
Fourth down for the North offense as quarterback Josiah Nothacker finds a wide open Finnian Bretag for the touchdown! North ties the game back up at 14.
Nearing the end of the first half, the Neuqua offense converts a huge fourth down as Mennecke throws a perfect pass to Joshua Repmann to keep the drive alive.
Moments later, the Wildcat quarterback avoids the pass rush and takes off looking for the end zone. The Wildcat QB makes a few defenders miss before being tackled inside the five. Going into the second half, Neuqua leads 17-14 after kicker Michael Creedon converts the field goal.
It’s fourth and short for the Husky offense. The North quarterback tries his second quarterback sneak but fumbles again as Wildcat Tyler Vanderlaan comes up with the football.
After the North turnover, Mennecke connects with William Kalish for the big gain.
Now inside the red zone, Neuqua’s Andy Barkley goes up the middle before cutting to the right side for his third touchdown of the night! The Cats lead 23-14 with 5:19 remaining after their extra point is blocked.
Naperville North gets on the comeback trail
Husky Mason Hill steps into the backfield, filling in for the injured William Eloe. Hill does not miss a beat as he follows his blocking before finding his way into the endzone. The Huskies trail 23-21.
The Husky defense gets the stop they needed as the North defensive line forces a bad throw from the Wildcat quarterback, as Griffin Jurjovec comes up with the interception. Going into the final quarter, North trails 23-21.
Josiah Nothacker drops back to pass and throws it deep, while getting hit, to receiver Jack Zitko for the touchdown. The Huskies lead 27-23 as the offense stays on the field for a two-point conversion.
Back in the game, William Eloe gets the handoff and gets into the end zone untouched for the conversion. The Huskies lead 29-23.
A game of inches leaves the Huskies in front
With less than three minutes left, the Wildcat offense dials up a trick play as Barkley gets the toss from Mennecke before throwing the halfback pass. Barkley connects with an open Mennecke with only one defender to beat. The Wildcat quarterback dives for the pylon but loses the ball as the defense recovers in the end zone for a touchback. Inches away from taking the lead, Neuqua turns the ball over instead.
The Wildcat defense forced a punt, giving the offense one last chance down by six. Husky star pass rusher Gabe Hill gets the sack on Mennecke to force a third and long with the clock still running under a minute.
After picking up a chunk play on third down, it’s the final chance for the Wildcats. The Neuqua quarterback avoids the rush and scrambles down the sideline, looking to stop the clock with a first down, but is tackled out of bounds as time expires!
Naperville North escapes Neuqua Valley with an intense 29-23 victory. The Huskies improve to 4-3 and are now one win away from qualifying for a spot in the 8A playoffs.
For more prep sports highlights, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page!
