Neuqua slips away from Warriors in hurry

Three first-half turnovers too much to overcome

NAPERVILLE -- With its season perhaps hanging in the balance, Neuqua Valley grabbed control of this rivalry game on the first play from scrimmage.

Quarterback Joe Ippolito took the shotgun snap, raced forward and bounced out toward the right sideline. After that 78-yard run, Waubonsie Valley fans were booing only 19 seconds into the game, and the Warriors were trailing by a touchdown.

Looking to avoid a 1-4 start on Friday night at North Central College, Neuqua had set the tone. And Waubonsie's mistakes would play a direct role.

The Wildcats (2-3) scored the game's first 28 points on the way to a convincing 28-7 Upstate Eight Conference victory. Ippolito finished with three rushing touchdowns and only 90 net yards on the ground, but he did his damage early.

When punter Scott Kuehn mishandled a snap and barely got off a punt that sailed out of bounds, Neuqua had the ball on Waubonsie's 24-yard line. Five plays later, Ippolito had scored his second rushing touchdown and Neuqua led 14-0 less than seven minutes into the game.

Kuehn and Waubonsie experienced a similar special teams breakdown in the second quarter, and it fit into the overall picture. The first quarter closed with Neuqua defensive back Alex Malandro intercepting a Kenny Clay pass in the end zone, which became one of three Waubonsie turnovers in the first half.

Neuqua's defense had buckled in three losses to start the season. The Wildcats watched as second-half leads evaporated in all three, but they frustrated Waubonsie (3-2) all night. Outside of Clay's 31-yard touchdown pass to Kuehn late in the fourth quarter, the Warriors had trouble finding a rhythm.

The Wildcats didn't play scared and they didn't play it safe. Faced with fourth-and-9 around Waubonsie's 32, Ippolito pitched it to wide receiver Bobby Herzberger on a reverse. Herzberger found Dan Meaney for a 30-yard gain on the trick play, and that set up a 2-yard touchdown run by Ippolito that made it 21-0.

Waubonsie didn't get those breaks. On the next play from scrimmage, what would have been a 79-yard touchdown run from Tre Clark was called back because of a holding penalty. Clark finished with 17 yards on 13 carries.

The Warriors still drove into the red zone, but valuable time melted away. Michael Ippolito came flying in from the edge to sack Clay and set up fourth-and-long, when the quarterback's pass fell incomplete. Michael Ippolito later killed another second-half drive with an interception.

Clay went 13-of-30 for 151 yards passing. He ran it 15 times for 55 yards.

Next week Neuqua travels to Indianapolis to face Cathedral, an Indiana prep power, while Waubonsie hosts St. Charles East.

By the end of the game Friday, Neuqua was hopping up and down in celebration. Suddenly, the UEC race looks a lot less clear.