The green and gold return home for a special night and getting the all important home victory. It’s Senior Night in Aurora, where the Waubonsie Valley Warriors are looking for their first home win this fall, fresh off a thrilling last-minute win over Palatine in week three. DeKalb is also eyeing a first of its own. The Barbs are winless so far on the road, squandering their first opportunity a week ago. This highlight is sponsored by BMO.
John Hung lifts the Warriors
The Warriors begin the contest with possession. With only two and a half minutes gone in the first, Waubonsie quarterback Nolan Alberson rolls to the right and flicks a pass on the run over a DeKalb defender and into the hands of senior wideout Josiah Griffin.
Waubonsie starts the night off with a bang. John Hung plunges untouched into the end zone to cap off their opening drive. 7-0 Warriors with just over eight to play in the first.
It isn’t just the offense for the green and gold that is making plays early. Less than a minute later, lineman Kadareus O’Neal sneaks up on senior running back Brandon Williams Jr. and forces a fumble. Carter Straub of Waubonsie dives on the loose pigskin and sets his team up on the Barb side of the field.
Closing in on the five-minute mark, Hung receives the handoff, hits the DeKalb defense with the spin cycle, breaks a tackle, and turns on the jets for his second rushing touchdown. Waubonsie capitalizes on the turnover and doubles the lead.
Into the second frame, Hung simply refuses to stay out of the end zone. The junior bolts up the middle and cashes in from the twenty. Waubonsie balloons its advantage to three touchdowns with still over eight minutes until half.
Waubonsie dashes by
On DeKalb’s ensuing drive, the visitor’s run game finds its stride. Williams Jr. bounces his run to the left, crossing midfield on his 21-yard scamper.
On the next snap, an end-around from Braylon Harness that looks to be sniffed out by the defense turns into another big gain for the Barbs. Back-to-back twenty-yard plays put DeKalb in the red zone.
Later in the drive, Williams Jr. favors the left side again, outpacing senior defensive back Jack Thurn to the goal line. The Barbs miss the extra point but still cut the deficit down to two scores, 21-6.
That two-score advantage would hold until the following kickoff falls into the hands of Marco Salamanca. The sophomore return man bursts through the hole, escapes the dive of the kicker and takes it 95 yards to the house! Waubonsie gets the six points back but also can’t convert on the point after. The Warriors enter the intermission up 27-6.
The score remains unchanged with under six minutes to go in regulation. DeKalb needs to orchestrate a scoring drive, but Salamanca is not done shredding the Barbs as he soars for the interception in plus territory.
A few snaps later, Hung finds paydirt for the fourth time on the night, clinching Waubonsie Valley’s first home win of the season, 34-13 over DeKalb. The Warriors even their record at 2-2.
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