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Neuqua Valley routs East Aurora

Neuqua Valley used an arsenal of weapons during its homecoming football game against East Aurora.

The Wildcats scored 10 touchdowns by 10 players in a 69-27 win over the Tomcats on Friday night, their third straight victory after an 0-2 start.

Senior quarterback Broc Rutter threw four touchdown passes to four receivers and also scored on a 1-yard keeper, while three other backs tallied scoring runs as well as two kickoff returns for touchdowns.

"It was nice to be able to spread the ball around," Neuqua Valley coach Bill Ellinghaus said. "We wanted to come out and work on our passing game and make sure it was clicking. The fact that we were able to spread the ball around tonight speaks volumes to our quarterback as well as our receivers."

After a Neuqua Valley (3-2, 3-0) holding penalty on the game's first offensive play, Rutter took the Wildcats on a 4-play, 75-yard drive that resulted in a 17-yard touchdown pass over the middle to Owen Piche. Rutter was 4-for-4 passing on the drive, including a long of 40 yards to Evan Moore.

East Aurora went three-and-out on its first offensive possession and Isaiah Robertson returned the Tomcat punt down to the their 22-yard line, but a late hit penalty by East Aurora moved the ball down to the 8-yard line. Following a Neuqua Valley holding penalty, Rutter hit Moore in the flat, who cut left and sped passed his defender to give the Wildcats a two-touchdown lead.

Dominick Muoghalu gave Neuqua Valley a 20-0 lead after a 40-yard touchdown run up the middle.

Rutter ended the scoring in the first quarter with a 64-yard touchdown pass to Robertson with 2:02 left that put the Wildcats up 27-0. He got past his defender and caught Rutter's perfectly thrown pass near the East Aurora 40-yard line and sprinted down the home team's sideline.

On East Aurora's ensuing possession, senior quarterback Michael Gonzalez drove the Tomcats 80 yards, completing 5-of-9 passes during the 10-play drive that resulted in a 9-yard scoring pass to Maurice Nichols.

Gonzalez played defense for much of the year, but entered the game at quarterback after injuries to both the starter and backup.

"I think he did a heck of a job," East Aurora coach Kurt Becker said of Gonzalez. "He moved the ball for us, which gave us some room for improvement and some hope."

The Wildcats extended their margin following the Tomcats' score when Zach Herdman returned the kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown and a 34-7 lead.

Rutter completed 9 of 11 passes for 246 yards and 4 touchdowns in the first half.

"No one panicked after we were 0-2," Rutter said. "We've just been working harder and harder in practice and I think we've improved every single week."

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