It’s a beautiful September evening at Barb Barrows Stadium, where Neuqua Valley is celebrating its 2026 Athletics Hall of Fame Class. After falling heartbreakingly to Metea Valley last week, the Wildcats welcome the 2-2 Waubonsie Valley Warriors, winners of two straight, to their home turf. Heading into this week’s matchup, Neuqua Valley has won seven straight games over the Warriors, dating back to 2018. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
Neuqua Valley leads through halftime
We pick up the action with the Wildcats in the red zone. Conner McCarty takes the handoff and follows some great blocking right into the end zone. Neuqua Valley strikes first, leading 7-0 midway through the first quarter.
Now in the second quarter, Waubonsie running back John Hung gets the carry, bursts right through the middle and puts the Warriors on the scoreboard. It’s now tied at seven early on in the quarter.
Back the other way, Neuqua quarterback Ben Travis drops back and lofts one in the air for Lucas Balgro, and he comes down with it and hangs on through the contact. The tough touchdown catch puts the Wildcats back on top 14-7.
On the ensuing kickoff, Marco Salamanca receives the ball for the Warriors. He makes a cut in traffic, finds a seam, and he takes off. He’s got a few defenders ahead of him, but he’s able to outrun everybody all the way to the end zone. Waubonsie Valley responds immediately with the big return by Salamanca; it’s tied at 14 with three minutes left in the half.
After a long drive, the Wildcats are back in scoring position with just seconds left in the half.. Travis rolls to his right, and he finds Balgro in the end zone for the second time tonight. Neuqua heads into the half up 21-14.
The Wildcats cling to a seven-point win
Now in the third quarter, Neuqua Valley is punting from their own end zone. Antoine Sanders is back to receive the punt, and he fields it from about the 45-yard line with some room to work with. He gets around the edge to the sideline, makes one miss, and races all the way to the one-yard line. Special teams continue to make a huge difference for Waubonsie in this ballgame.
After their second big return of the night, Nolan Alberson just takes this one in himself. Waubonsie Valley ties the game up at 21 with eight minutes to play in the third quarter.
On to the fourth quarter, the Wildcats are back in possession. Conner McCarty takes the handoff, and he finds some space on the sideline in a hurry. With a couple of defenders to beat, he cuts back to the middle, and nobody is going to catch him. The 80-yard touchdown run is McCarty’s second of the game, and it puts Neuqua back up 28-21.
After a third McCarty touchdown, it’s now 35-21 in favor of the blue and gold. Freddie Rook is on the field to attempt a 20-yard field goal, and it sails through the uprights to put the game away as the Cats go up by three scores. The Wildcats go on to win 28-21, improving to 2-3 after defeating Waubonsie Valley for the eighth consecutive game. The Warriors have a tough test against Naperville North next Friday night, while Neuqua will visit DeKalb.
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