Neuqua Valley safety Jacob VanderLaan had to wait until the final regular-season game of his senior year to get his first varsity start.
It didn’t take him long to make an impact.
More Top Picks Best Japanese Wedding Gifts
VanderLaan intercepted a pass along the left sideline late in the second quarter Friday night at Memorial Stadium. It was the first career interception for the 6-foot, 175-pound VanderLaan, who was playing in place of injured starter Zach Schaefer.
“I’m giving all the respect to our D-linemen,” VanderLaan said. “They got the pressure there. The quarterback just chucked it up for me, and fortunately I was there and got the pick.”
VanderLaan’s interception against senior quarterback Jack Cook came with 1:22 left in the first half of a tie game and gave the visiting Wildcats the ball at Naperville Central’s 42-yard line.
Six plays later, senior quarterback Ryan Mohler scored on 1-yard run eight seconds before halftime, giving Neuqua Valley the lead for good in a 26-14 upset victory.
The win was the fourth straight for the Wildcats (6-3), who clinched a playoff berth by avenging a 21-7 DuPage Valley Conference loss on Sept. 22 and snapping the Redhawks’ five-game winning streak.
VanderLaan had played only on special teams until replacing Schaefer during the second quarter of a 40-6 win against DeKalb last week. What was going through his mind when he found out he would be starting?
“I was excited, but I knew we had to get the job done, so I couldn’t get too high,” VanderLaan said. “I had to keep a middle level, you know?”
VanderLaan’s ability to do so impressed star senior cornerback Miles Miskel.
“He played beautiful,” Miskel said. “That was one of the best games I’ve ever seen from a guy who was playing a team like this in his first time starting.
“He flipped the momentum really quick with that pick.”
VanderLaan’s interception was one of three by the Wildcats, who turned the first two into touchdowns. Sophomore defensive back Andrew Hoffmann had the first, which gave Neuqua Valley the ball at Naperville Central’s 21-yard line and set up Mohler’s 5-yard touchdown run that tied the game at 7-7.
The Redhawks (7-2) retook the lead on senior receiver Christopher Bern‘s 82-yard catch-and-run, but junior running back William Beaman gained 70 yards on the ensuing play and scored on a 1-yard run three plays after that.
VanderLaan made his interception three plays later.
“I’m so happy for him,” Neuqua Valley coach Bill Ellinghaus said. “He really stepped up and played well.
“We’ve been having to move some pieces around. Late in the season like this, guys get injured and banged up. We were down three guys tonight, and we had guys step up, and they did a great job, and I’m very proud of them for that.”
Beaman rushed for 120 yards on 13 carries. Mohler added 88 yards on 17 attempts and also hit a wide-open junior receiver Cooper Lehman on a play-action pass for a 22-yard touchdown to finish the scoring with 2:04 left in the third quarter.
The Redhawks did not get past midfield in the second half until their final drive, which Miskel ended with an interception at Neuqua Valley’s 8-yard line.
“I trust all my DBs,” Miskel said. “I knew they weren’t going to get any touchdowns on us if they passed the ball, whether it was the pick from Jacob or anybody else.”
The turnaround from the first meeting was stark, and the reason for it was simple, according to VanderLaan.
“We worked hard in practice,” he said. “We wanted this game more than them, so we just took it to them. We trusted each other because we’re like family.”
More Top Picks Best Waterproof E Readers For Reading
That family-like bond is one reason VanderLaan was able to bide his time constructively until called upon.
“Just trust in the process,” he said. “You go through practice every day not knowing when your time is going to come. The time just came, and I had to get it done.”
Matt Le Cren is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.