Neuqua Valley gets needed win
Neuqua Valley coach Bill Ellinghaus put it to his players at halftime of a tied football game Friday night in Lombard.
"Coach Ellinghaus said we're either going to go 1-2 or 0-3," senior defensive lineman Tyler Bromer said. "He said, What do you guys want to do? We weren't going to sit down. We wanted to win."
The Wildcats earned their first victory of the season, starting the Upstate Eight Conference Valley Division portion of their schedule with a 26-6 decision at conference newcomer Glenbard East on Friday night.
"It was a very important win for us," Ellinghaus said of the win. "It was good for us to get on the winning track here. Six to six at halftime, they came out and played well. They blitzed us a lot and it really took us until we got to halftime to make a few adjustments. We came out in a little different formation (in the third quarter) and got the running game going a little bit."
Bromer knew exactly what the win meant to the Wildcats (1-2, 1-0).
"Momentum," he said. "Going into this conference. It was huge. The offense picked it up, played great."
Glenbard East scored on its first possession of the game, following up an interception with a 60-yard touchdown drive. Senior running back Dominic Wilberton went into the end zone from 1 yard out for a 6-0 Rams lead.
The Rams (2-1, 0-1) got close but they never could hit paydirt again.
"Really tonight we were sparked by our defense," Ellinghaus said. "Our defense played extremely well. They've played well for three weeks in a row, and we just now finally were able to get a few points on the board for them."
"Our defense, all week we've been talking about shutout, all that. As soon as we gave up that 6 we weren't going to let them get anymore," Bromer added.
The Rams' lead didn't last long. Neuqua Valley marched right back down the field, going 63 yards in 6 plays, with senior running back Charlie Hunter notching the first of this 3 touchdowns.
The Wildcats broke the game open in the third quarter. Quarterback Broc Rutter hit Evan Moore for an 11-yard TD pass, then Hunter ran in from 1 yard out.
Hunter added a 2-yard TD run in the fourth quarter.
"I have complete trust in all of them," Bromer said of the Wildcats' offense. "O line, I mean, they're huge, they're all great athletes. They can get it done no matter who they're going against. Broc, obviously great quarterback, can get it done in these conditions, rainy and cold."
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