Six weeks into the season, there isn’t anything Neuqua Valley football coach Bill Ellinghaus would rather talk about than his offensive line.
“Boy, they’re something special. They really are,” Ellinghaus said. “I’m really pleased with where they were and where they’re at now. They started out good, but they’re developing into a great offensive line right now.
“They are really working together as a unit. They’re making calls and adjustments out there. Wwe don’t have offensive linemen do that in high school very often.”
Tackles Thomas Cwiok and Jake Zeiler, guards AJ Cwiok and Joseph Backe and center Michael Peterson asserted themselves in a 34-7 DuPage Valley Conference victory over visiting Naperville North on Friday night.
Neuqua Valley (5-1, 4-1) started the game with an 11-play, 65-yard drive into the wind. The Wildcats dominated up front and scored on four of their five first-half possessions to go ahead 27-0.
“Their offensive line is really good,” Naperville North coach Sean Drendel said. “They got off the ball and moved us out.”
Neuqua running back DeVaughn Welch (eight carries, 75 yards) scored on a 15- yard run to culminate the opening drive.
“It set the tone for the game, it set the tone for our kids because that’s what we were really striving for, to start fast, and we did that,” Ellinghaus said. “We challenged the kids and they responded. They weren’t happy with the way we played last week, either.”
A 15-yard TD run by Greg McClellan, a 29-yard scoring pass from Jack Stankoven (6-for-10, 101 yards) to Michael Wisinski and Welch’s second TD, a 4-yard run, gave Neuqua the commanding four-TD lead at halftime.
“We focused all week on staying mentally focused,” Stankoven said. “That was kind of our theme, to not come out flat, come out firing first quarter all the way through to the end of the game.”
More Top Picks Best Walk In Humidors For Collectors
“We knew it was going to be windy, so we wanted to get the run game going,” Welch said. “I credit the line because I can’t do my job without the line. The line is the most important thing.”
Isaiah Robertson’s interception on the third play of the second half set up an 18-yard TD run by Griffen Philgren (62 yards, five carries) that put Neuqua ahead 34-0.
Defensively, linemen Tommy Ciesla, Kurt Simpson and Samuel Fields, and linebackers Anthony Ippolito, Nick Osikowicz and Casey Larson stood out for Neuqua.
North (0-6, 0-5) was held to one first down until the final quarter with Neuqua’s starters on the bench. Jalen Lockhart scored on an 11-yard run to avert the shutout.
DuPage Valley newcomer Neuqua can clinch a playoff spot Friday at Wheaton North. The Wildcats finish their regular season with home games against Lake Park and Glenbard North.
“Going into the DVC, everybody’s talking about the new conference,” Ellinghaus said. “This conference is crazy, every week is a battle. The fact we can clinch a playoff berth, that’s what we’ve always been after.”
Tim Tierney is a freelance reporter for The Naperville Sun.