It’s the grand reopening of Neuqua Valley’s renovated stadium. The school’s first Athletic Director, Barb Barrows, is in the house to cut the ribbon for the Wildcats’ first athletic contest on their new turf field. Neuqua Valley also honored their senior football players and other fall sports seniors on this extremely humid September evening. Looking to build on last week’s win over Minooka, the Wildcats welcome in the Hersey Huskies, a team with a 2-0 record led by Kentucky commit Jake Nawrot. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
Huskies power through
Early in the first, a long drive by the Huskies brings them to the goal line, and Jackson Travis caps it off with a short touchdown run. Hersey is up 7-0 after the first drive of the game.
Later in the quarter, Hersey is back in the red zone. Jake Hawrot drops back and finds Jaxon Saint Paul near the sideline, stumbling into the end zone. It’s now 14-0 Hersey with four minutes left in the first quarter.
Now in the second quarter, Nawrot is rolling to his right; he looks to the back of the end zone for Saint Paul again, and he hangs on to the tough catch through the contact. The second touchdown connection for the duo puts the Huskies up 21-0.
Back the other way, the Wildcats look to respond. Drake Mennecke takes the snap, breaks a tackle, and he’s off to the races. No one is going to catch him, and he puts Neuqua on the board. The 30-yard touchdown run from the senior QB makes it a 21-7 game.
Hersey remains undefeated
Hersey is back in the red zone. This time Gustavo Quiroz gets the handoff and plows through a couple Wildcats on his way to the end zone. It’s the second rushing touchdown for Hersey, and their lead extends to 28-7 with two minutes to play in the half.
With just seconds left in the half, Travis gets the carry and breaks a tackle in the backfield. He has some open space, makes some defenders miss, and has his second score of the game. The Huskies tack on another touchdown, up 35-7.
In the second half, Hersey shows some play action, and Nawrot is looking deep. Josh Riggs is all alone, and he makes the catch and glides into the end zone with ease. The Huskies’ lead grows to 42-7.
On the next drive, Neuqua Valley is in the red zone. Mennecke pump fakes and then throws to the back of the end zone for Josh Repmann, and he secures the catch for six. However, Hersey goes on to win this one comfortably, 49-14, improving to 3-0 on the season while the Wildcats drop to 1-2.
For more prep sports highlights and community sports, visit the Naperville Sports Weekly page and follow us on Twitter and Instagram!
