Anthony Ippolito turned misfortune into open field Friday.
And he rescued Neuqua Valley.
One play after a high snap on a Neuqua punt set up Naperville Central for a potential game-tying touchdown, Ippolito had other ideas.
The senior linebacker’s 86-yard interception return was a stunning turnaround in the closing minutes of Neuqua’s 24-10 DuPage Valley Conference win.
Tommy Ciesla got a hand on the ball at the line, then Ippolito stepped in front of the short pass and took it the end zone with 4:06 left for the game’s final score.
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“It happened fast,” Ippolito said of his first career defensive TD. “We got pressure from our defensive line. I’m the one who got lucky and the ball fell into my hands. Next thing I knew I was running down the field with my teammates.”
Neuqua (2-0, 2-0), which beat Central (0-2, 0-2) for the first time since 2012, needed Ippolito’s late heroics in a game the Wildcats seemed in control throughout.
The Wildcats outgained the Redhawks 282-149 but struggled to finish drives, still leading 17-7 after Griffen Philgren’s 9-yard TD run with 9:53 left.
Central crept closer on Andy Delgado’s 23-yard field goal after Isaiah Robertson lost a fumble.
Drama heightened with the botched punt snap on Neuqua’s next possession that gave Central the ball at the Wildcats’ 17.
“A couple big momentum swings,” Neuqua coach Bill Ellinghaus said. “We just happened to get the last big play.”
No surprise that it came from Ippolito, a third-year varsity starter also doubling on offense. He ran in an earlier 2-yard TD.
“He makes plays all over the field,” Ellinghaus said. “He’s just a heck of a football player.”
So is Donny Navarro, who was Neuqua’s headliner.
The senior slot receiver caught a program-record 10 passes for 134 yards, repeatedly slipping between the hash marks to keep drives alive.
Navarro’s catches set up Ippolito’s first TD and Stephen Ruiz’s 25-yard field goal to end the first half. Navarro’s 10th reception came a play before Philgren’s score.
Jack Bastable, who started at quarterback for Neuqua and stayed in throughout the second half, was 14-for-18 for 139 yards.
“I was just reading the defenses,” Navarro said. “(Jake) Eskoff and Bastable were doing a great job getting me the ball. I credit those guys.”
Central never led, but it was a far cry from the Redhawks’ 35-6 loss to Glenbard North in Week 1.
Kyle Bennington’s red-zone interception sparked Central early, and Josh Ruiz’s 32-yard catch led to AJ Deinhart’s 2-yard TD run, giving the Redhawk offense life.
Deinhart ran for 46 yards, and Ruiz caught three passes for 81 yards.
“We got ourselves in a position to maybe tie the score, and we just didn’t make the plays,” Central coach Mike Stine said. “We were better this week. In this league, you got to get better yet.”
Joshua Welge is a freelance writer for the Naperville Sun.