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A special win for Metea Valley

Metea Valley could get used to playing football at North Central College.

Making its debut in the Indian Prairie Classic on Friday at Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium in Naperville, Metea Valley beat Waubonsie Valley for the first time, 19-7.

It was the first time the Mustangs (2-3, 2-3) beat either district rival after a combined 0-12 record against Waubonsie Valley and Neuqua Valley,

"It's just been a tradition of Metea losing every time we play Waubonsie and Neuqua," said safety Amiri Finner, who broke the ice on a 15-yard touchdown run and added a 92-yard kickoff return for touchdown.

"Tonight was a great night, we beat them," he said. "A lot of people expected us not to be here and we came out and showed up."

"We've gotten over that hump of being that 'other' Valley school. We're no longer known as the younger brother or anything like that," said Mustangs quarterback Conner Lovely. He passed for 112 yards and ran for 31, including Metea's capper, a 9-yard touchdown run with 4:32 left in the DuPage Valley Conference game.

It entered as a match of Metea pass versus Waubonsie run, but Metea flipped that script. Maurice Burkley started and finished strong, with 19 carries for 82 yards. Along with a 32-yard reception by active Ben Loutsis, Metea scored first on Finner's end around on the first play of the second quarter. Lovely added the kick for a 7-0 lead.

Waubonsie Valley (3-2, 3-2) answered with a long drive of its own. Tailback Max Ihry and quarterback Jack Connolly - looking his best yet leading the option - marched 13 plays and used two big Metea penalties to capitalize on Connolly's 1-yard touchdown sneak. Lee Bell's kick tied the game 7-7 at 5:28 of the second quarter.

The lead lasted all of 15 seconds when Finner gathered Bell's kickoff at the 8-yard line, angled right and sliced down the right sideline for the score.

"I was talking to the offense, congratulating them. The next thing I know we're giving up a touchdown," said Warriors coach Paul Murphy.

Metea missed a chance to tack on another score when a 13-play drive to Waubonsie's 3-yard line ended in a Trevon Moore interception just before halftime.

Late in the third quarter Waubonsie returned that favor, Metea's Reggie Hill picking off a pass in the end zone.

Burkley and Lovely captained a 13-play scoring drive for the 19-7 lead and turned it over to the defense. Defensive end Michael Robinson had 3 sacks for the game and 1 apiece on each of Waubonsie's final two possessions.

"It's awesome," said Metea coach and Waubonsie graduate Ben Kleinhans. "It's one of those things where you have your district rivals, right? It's special playing there and going back and finally beating them as a head coach. There's a lot of reasons why this win is special for us."

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