Clay shines as Waubonsie bounces back
There may have been mud all over the field at Dick Kerner Stadium, but Clay -- Kenny Clay, that is -- dominated.
The Waubonsie Valley senior quarterback was responsible for the majority of the touchdowns in the Warriors' 41-0 Upstate Eight Conference win over Elgin in Aurora on Friday.
"He's the engine that makes our offense go," Waubonsie coach Paul Murphy said. "He's got to play well for us to play well. That has been evident since weeks 3 and 4."
Clay first threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Scott Kuehn at the 3:53 mark in the first quarter. Then, two plays after Waubonsie's David Brown recovered a fumble, Clay muscled his way in the end zone on a 3-yard run.
In the second quarter, Clay handed the ball to Maurice Bowman, who bullied his way for a 2-yard run to push the Warriors' lead to 21-0 at halftime.
In the third quarter, Clay struck again, this time for a 16-yard scoring run at the 5:12 mark.
In the final quarter, the Warriors scored twice. First, Clay connected with Andrew Strathmann for a 52-yard touchdown pass in the opening minute of the quarter. The final score was on Jason Lockowitz's 38-yard run with 7:38 left in the game.
This was the first time Waubonsie shut out an opponent this season.
"We struggled offensively, like we have the past few weeks," Elgin coach Dave Bierman said. "We have to be able to throw the ball, and we weren't able to do that with any effectiveness."
The win helped the Warriors (4-3, 3-2 UEC) move closer to a spot in the playoffs. It also gave them confidence after they dropped the last two conference games. Elgin is now 2-5, 2-3.
"(The playoffs are) within reach," Murphy said. "Our goal next week is to come in and play Lake Park," Murphy said. "To me, next week is a playoff game."
"We got (a postseason spot) clinched now," Jim Green said. "We get to play for the conference championship next week against Wilmington. We're both undefeated (in the Interstate Eight) and it'll be a great challenge."
Beacon staff contributed to this report.
