SC North rolls past Neuqua
ST. CHARLES -- Big plays set St. Charles North back on the path to the playoffs on Friday night, while the lack of them ensured Neuqua Valley wouldn't participate in the postseason.
Jake Bergren rushed for a pair of touchdowns and threw another as the North Stars scored a 31-5 Upstate Eight Conference victory that secured their eighth consecutive playoff berth.
But it was North's defense that set the tone by harassing Neuqua quarterbacks Joe Ippolito and Jeffrey Samuel for three interceptions on a combined 8-of-28 passing, while limiting the Wildcats to a net gain of only three yards on the ground.
"We had a lot of motivation this week," said North defensive lineman Brian Pedersen, who had one of those picks. "We were just ready to go. We really needed this win and it was just clutch."
"This was big because five wins was not going to get us in (the playoffs)," North Stars coach Mark Gould said. "There was no way we'd have enough playoff points. But now (the focus) is still in the conference and trying to get a better playoff seed. The next three games are big."
Neuqua Valley (2-5, 2-2) struck first as a big return by Robert Herzberger to the North 27-yard line set up Trenton Snyder's 35-yard field goal early in the first quarter.
The North Stars (6-1, 4-1) controlled the muddy field the rest of the night.
Bergren broke a 40-yard touchdown run the first play of North's second possession to put his team ahead early in the second quarter. Dirk Schmitt's 2-yard TD run and Cory Harmon's 25-yard field goal gave North a 17-3 halftime lead.
All three of those scoring drives began in Neuqua territory.
Meanwhile, the Wildcats couldn't get their offense out of the mud. Neuqua only generated eight plays for positive yardage in the first half.
"St. Charles North is a good defense and you have to give them credit," Wildcats coach Bryan Wells said. "Certainly the field didn't do us any favors. Those things combined were a large part of why our offense didn't get anything going."
Bergren added a 21-yard scoring run and a 24-yard TD pass to Andrew Elliott on his way to a game-high 92 rushing yards to go along with his 37 passing yards.
North's Max Novak completed a 17-yard pass to Dom Imbordino on a fake field goal attempt to set up one of the first-half scores.
Matthew Scanlon turned a botched North punt into a first down by scrambling with the ball, and also made sure a high snap on another punt try made its way through the back of the end zone for Neuqua's late safety.
J.J. Weaver had one of the North Stars' interceptions to go along with a pair of sacks, while Ben Dvorak had the third North pick.
The Wildcats will miss the playoffs for the second straight year after a string of six consecutive postseason appearances.
"Knowing you've been eliminated, you can either tuck your tails in or show pride in yourself and your team," Snyder said. "It's not about the playoffs anymore. It's about having respect for yourself and your team no matter what your record is."
ST. CHARLES NORTH 31, NEUQUA VALLEY 5
NV 3 0 0 2 -- 5
SCN 0 17 7 7 -- 31
SCORING
NV -- FG Snyder 45, 8:51
SCN -- Bergren 40 run (Harmon kick), 11:40
SCN -- Schmitt 2 run (Harmon kick), 4:59
SCN -- Harmon 25 field goal, 1:30
SCN -- Bergren 21 run (Harmon kick), 8:58
SCN -- Elliott 24 pass from Bergren (Harmon kick), 6:33
SCN -- Safety, 1:37
TEAM STATS NV SCN
First Downs 11 20
Comp-att.-Int. 8-28-3 4-12-0
Pass Yards 93 54
Rush att.-yds 21-3 47-205
Total Yards 96 242
Fumbles-Lost 4-0 2-0
Penalties-Yards 5-52 5-49
INDIVIDUAL STATS
Rushing:
NV: SNyder 7-21, Ippolito 10-0, Herzberger 1-(-3), Samuel 3-(-15).
SCN: Bergern 16-92, Schmitt 10-42, Hodge 12-41, Novak 5-22, Scanlon 1-6, McShane 2-2.
Passing:
NV: Ippolito 4-12-1 39, Samuel 4-16-2 54.
SCN: Bergren 3-11-0 37, Novak 1-1-0 17.
Receiving:
NV: Herzberger 3-40, Meaney 1-17, Norgaard 1-5, Jackson 1-14, Snyder 1-11, Menendez 1-6.
SCN: Elliott 1-24, Imbordino 1-17, Schmitt 1-6.
