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Neuqua Valley celebrates win over Metea Valley

Nick Osikowicz helped Neuqua Valley find its ground game, and he helped put distance between the Wildcats and Metea Valley in the process.

Celebrating his birthday on Friday, the senior ran for 3 touchdowns, including a 32-yarder that capped a 21-point Wildcats third quarter that keyed Neuqua's 38-14 victory in Aurora, their first in the DuPage Valley Conference.

“We just kept saying we need another score and another stop to just put them away — and just hope they go away,” said Osikowicz, who ran 9 times for 80 yards and also made 13 tackles at linebacker, his usual position.

The senior said the last time he may have run for 3 touchdowns was at Gregory Middle School, “probably like seventh or eighth grade.”

Neuqua Valley, which got a 79-yard return by Owen Piche on the opening kick, led 14-0 after one quarter on 2 Osikowicz touchdowns. Metea pulled within 14-7 late in the second quarter on Maurice Burkley's 9-yard touchdown run.

Neuqua quarterback Jack Stankoven passed twice for 58 total yards to set up Stephen Ruiz's 27-yard field goal with no time left on the clock for a 17-7 Wildcats lead.

“Obviously, letting them catch that ball down the sideline and then getting those 3 extra points wasn't good, I mean 14-7 would have been better,” Metea coach Ben Kleinhans said. “But the way that first quarter went to come into halftime 17-7, I would have taken that the way things were going.”

It didn't improve for Metea. The visitors scored following turnovers on Metea's first two second-half possessions.

Tommy Ciesta recovered a fumble and Jon Rhattigan bulled in from 11 yards out. Isaiah Robertson looked like he had a 34-yard interception return for touchdown, but a penalty brought it back. No worries, Stankoven found him for a 20-yard touchdown on an in-out pattern.

“We just kept doing what had to do to win the game and it all came together,” Robertson said.

Metea quarterback Conner Lovely countered with a 56-yard pass to Brad Fekety to give the Mustangs first-and-goal from the Neuqua 4 but couldn't score. After a Mustangs four-and-out Osikowicz capped Neuqua's 21-point quarter when he spun out of a pile for a 32-yard touchdown run.

“I felt like they were on a 35-yard field all night,” Kleinhans said.

Alonzo Taylor, who spelled Burkley and ran for 29 yards, scored on a 4-yard run for the 38-14 final.

“We knew it was going to be tough in the beginning and we didn't take that lightly,” said Neuqua coach Bill Ellinghaus. “So at halftime it was like, hey, we're staying the course and the first five minutes of the third quarter was huge for us.”

Images: Neuqua Valley over Metea Valley, 38-14 in football

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