Naperville Central bounces back against Neuqua Valley
When Naperville Central football coach Mike Stine went to sleep Thursday night, this was the dream.
The Redhawks put in a textbook performance in Friday's 28-14 nonconference victory over visiting Neuqua Valley, easing the sting of last week's loss to Waubonsie Valley.
This was a different Naperville Central (1-1) team Friday night as the Redhawks — who scored on each of their first three drives — responded with a resounding effort while building a 21-0 lead.
“We had some seniors who stepped up,” Stine said. “This is how we want to play. This is how we have to play.”
Naperville Central dominated time of possession in the first half while building the three-touchdown advantage behind the legs of running back Matt Randolph and quarterback Ian Lewandowski. Each player rushed for more than 100 yards in the game, with Randolph finishing with 111 yards on 26 carries.
Randolph scored on 2 touchdown passes from Lewandowski, who added a 31-yard scoring run to make it 21-0. Neuqua Valley rallied to within 21-14 by halftime by taking advantage of a pair of turnovers in the final 3:15.
Joey Rhattigan, who finished with 19 carries for 81 yards, scored on runs of 14 and 2 yards. The second touchdown came with only 19 seconds left in the half.
“You can't put any team up 21 points and expect to do great things,” said Neuqua Valley coach Bryan Wells. “We fought a little bit there but you can't take anything away from Naperville Central.”
Neuqua Valley (1-1) seemed to have momentum heading into the second half, but one of four interceptions — this one by Redhawks linebacker Matt Moore — ended the Wildcats' first drive of the third quarter. The Redhawks converted six plays later with Lewandowski's 5-yard scoring run that made it 28-14.
Defensive back Ross Murphy added two of his 3 interceptions on the night as the Redhawks closed strong in the fourth quarter. Wildcats quarterback Nate Boudreau, who completed 9 of 20 passes for 103 yards, was helped off the field after a rough hit on Murphy's second interception with just less than four minutes left.
“You just want to come out and win the game every day, I mean, I don't think you need motivation to come out and beat a cross-town rival like that,” Murphy said. “Once they got down by two scores we knew they were just going to start throwing it up.”