On the first day of fall camp back on Aug. 10, Naperville Central senior quarterback Conor Joyce was effusive in his praise of the offensive line blocking for him.
Twenty-five days later, the five men charged with protecting Joyce lived up to the billing by paving the way at the most opportune time against Neuqua Valley.
Luke Brady’s 12-yard touchdown run with 51 seconds remaining in regulation permitted No. 4 Naperville Central to eke out a 14-7 DuPage Valley Conference victory over the 24th-ranked Wildcats on Friday.
As Rodney Jones’ and Mike Ulreich’s respective defensive units continued to do work throughout the second half, it was the work the Redhawks’ offensive line got done in the game’s final 2:57.
The Redhawks’ (2-0, 2-0) offensive line allowed Brady to gain 28 of the 50 yards they traveled in just 2:07 to take the lead for good.
“We were on the bench, we were talking it over,” Brady said. “We knew we just had to go 1-0 on every play and play as hard as we can. That’s our mantra: go 1-0 every play. And we did that. We got to the ball as quick as we could through the huddle and all that. We just pounded it to them and eventually we knew it would give.”
All told, Brady ran for 94 yards on 20 carries for Naperville Central, which took its first lead of the game on Brady’s scamper up the middle.
For the second straight week, Joyce managed the game and kept the Redhawks’ offense going while the Neuqua Valley defense was stuffing their running game early.
Joyce completed eight of 14 passes for just 116 yards, but two of those passes went in Matt Lehmann’s direction for 61 yards.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Redhawks quickly answered a 10-play, 78-yard scoring drive for the Wildcats with one of their own.
Started by a 28-yard completion from Joyce to Matt Lehmann, the Redhawks went quickly down the field on six plays for 78 yards.
They knotted the Wildcats at 7-7 with 6:21 left in the first half after Joyce found Lehmann for a 33-yard TD.
But he knows full well where the credit on Friday lied – with the names of Ryan Culhane, Alec Bugaj, Cooper Ludovice, Trevor Campbell and Fabian Kratz.
“We just knew it was time to go,” Joyce said of the Redhawks’ final drive. “This time … this drive is to win the game and any time’s the game’s on the line – you’re going to give it your best effort and that’s what our guys did. Credit to all five of the linemen. Did an outstanding job.”
A week after running for 80 yards and three touchdowns in a victory over Metea Valley, senior linebacker Nick Osikowicz jumpstarted the offense for Neuqua Valley (1-1, 1-1) yet again.
Osikowicz ran for 48 yards during the 10-play, 78-yard drive and broke the game’s scoring seal with a 20-yard touchdown run up the middle with 8:51 left in the first half.
Because of a Redhawk defense that forced six three-and-outs, the Wildcats weren’t able to consistently gain traction on offense despite outgaining the Redhawks, 261-224.
Osikowicz finished with 72 yards on 15 carries as the Wildcats ran for 153 yards collectively, with DeVaughn Welch contributing 46 yards on 10 carries.
“When you can only put seven points on the board, you can’t expect to win,” Neuqua Valley coach Bill Ellinghaus said. “We need to do a better job offensively.”
Ulreich’s charges didn’t permit Wildcats’ quarterback Jack Stankoven much, as he completed 12 of 20 passes for just 108 yards.
The Redhawks proved their moxie in beating Glenbard North last week despite three turnovers.
Seven days later, the fact their defense could hold Neuqua Valley to seven points and win without forcing a turnover speaks volumes.
“There were some times where they moved the ball,” Ulreich said. “They got into our territory and we made some stops in some key spots. Going into the week, we hoped we’d be able to stop the run. It didn’t work out that well, but the kids made some really tough plays when we needed to be (tough).”
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