Neuqua comes out on top of classic

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Not a bad day at the office.

In front of a near-capacity crowd, Neuqua Valley upset St. Charles East 49-42 in a four-overtime game Friday night in Naperville.

It was the first overtime win in school history and the first game ever played at the high school that went beyond a single overtime session. The win put the Wildcats (3-3, 2-2 Upstate Eight Conference) back at the .500 mark and still very much alive in the playoff hunt.

"When we go into games I erase what our record is in my mind and just focus on the week wanting to go 1-0," said Neuqua coach Bryan Wells. "I hope that this is a win that we can build off of, but we do face Bartlett next week which has a strong passing attack."

The homecoming game almost ended in the third overtime as the Wildcats were down 42-35 and faced a fourth-and-goal at the six-yard line. Connor Yearian saved the day by making the catch of the game as he outjumped his defender who had better position on the fade route into the corner of the end zone. After snagging the ball he was able to put his left foot down for the score.

"Actually, throughout the summer we have been working on that play and I just knew I had to have it. Everyone was depending on me," Yearian said. "This was really nothing new, I just wanted to take it out of his hands and make a play."

Yearian only had two catches in the game for 16 yards, but both went for touchdowns.

With momentum on its side, Neuqua went back on offense as it got the ball first in the fourth overtime.

Starting at the 10-yard line, Neuqua had some miscues that put it in a hole. On the first play from scrimmage the Wildcats had an illegal man downfield penalty, pushing them back 5 yards. After an Alex Lincoln quarterback keeper got back the penalty yards on first down a lineman moved early for a 5-yard false start penalty. An incomplete pass set up third-and-goal at the 15-yard line.

On the ensuing play, Lincoln dropped back to pass, looked off a defender and fired a laser right between the numbers to Michael Camire. Camire caught the ball on the 2-yard line and fought through two Saint defenders, stretching the ball across the goal line for the score.

"We practice the red zone about 40 minutes per week and I told the guys that this is our territory. We had guys make catches for us on the outside and Mike (Camire) made the catch for us underneath," Lincoln said. "We have the players and we have confidence going into games."

The Wildcats defense showed no signs of fatigue, needing a stop to defeat the Saints.

On first and second downs, the front line of Neuqua bottled up Saints running back Wesley Allen, forcing a third-

and-goal situation from the 8-yard line. St. Charles East quarterback David White's pass to Paul DeBord was knocked down by the Wildcats' Bobby Herzberger forcing fourth-and-goal. On fourth down, White's passing attempt to his wide receiver in the corner of the end zone went wide and the Wildcats celebrated the victory.

Allen had one of his best games of the season against the Wildcats as he gained 268 yards on 40 carries, scoring all six of the Saints' touchdowns. Allen alone outrushed the whole Neuqua team, which managed 138 yards of total rushing offense.

The contest had the makings of a blowout early on as St. Charles (4-2, 3-1 UEC) marched past Neuqua's defense and scored touchdowns on its first two possessions.

Neuqua cut the Saints' 21-7 halftime lead to one score when Lincoln and Schaffer hooked up again, this time for an 81-yard touchdown pass. Schaffer ran a crossing route and after catching the ball, broke through two defenders and sprinted in for the score.

"We knew that they (St. Charles) like to play a lot of man defense so we knew we could take them deep. I saw the post straight on and after catching the ball it was all over after that," Schaffer said.

Schaffer finished with a game-high nine receptions for 152 yards and four touchdowns. Camire added seven catches for 61 yards and a touchdown.

The fourth quarter belonged to the Wildcats as they had possession for just under nine minutes.

Most of that time was taken up on the 16 play, 72-yard game-tying drive with just 1:57 remaining. Schaffer ran a fade route to the corner of the end zone and Lincoln found him for the 10-yard touchdown score.

St. Charles East had a chance to get the go-ahead score late but Neuqua's defense held and forced the Saints to punt around midfield.

Neuqua outgained the Saints 190-95 in the second half and held the Saints to only four first downs.

Lincoln finished 19 for 38, 229 yards with seven touchdowns and one interception. Donovan Moreno led Neuqua's rushing attack with 22 carries for 110 yards.

"If you don't convert third and shorts and fourth and shorts you aren't going to win big ballgames. This is a (Neuqua) team that can score and they are quick," said Ted Monken, St. Charles East head coach. "If you don't score in the second half, it is hard to win games.

We've got to move the ball and put points on the board in all four quarters if we want to win."