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Raupach, Chevalier help Neuqua rush past late Naperville North surge

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There’s little doubt senior quarterback Jake Eskoff can wing it for Neuqua Valley.

But he certainly has no issues turning to his right or left to look for some help from time to time.

Eskoff’s prowess with his right arm took a back seat Friday as running backs Cam Raupach and Will Chevalier carried things against Naperville North.

Raupach’s two rushing touchdowns helped lead the Wildcats to a 31-28 DuPage Valley Conference victory over the Huskies.

“It’s just Cam and Chevy,” Eskoff said. “That’s what they do. They make people miss. They get more yards. They’re just great running backs.”

Raupach and Chevalier both went over 100 yards for Neuqua Valley (5-1, 4-1) as it became postseason eligible.

While Chevalier had a game-high 126 yards, Raupach added 103 yards.

Neuqua Valley running back Cam Raupach scores on a three-yard touchdown run against Naperville North on September 29, 2017.

Raupach’s three-yard touchdown run just over two minutes into the game gave the Wildcats a quick 7-0 lead.

His second TD run – a two-yarder – on the opening possession of the second half gave his team a 25-6 lead.

“You see the best running backs in the NFL get shut down because their offensive line can’t block,” Raupach said. “If they don’t do anything, I don’t do anything. They were blocking their tail off (Friday) night. So I had a good night. If I don’t hit those holes, then I’m not a good running back.”

Undaunted by the 19-point deficit, the Huskies (4-2, 3-2) battled back.

Senior quarterback Drake Davis threw for 366 yards and three touchdowns with one interception as he almost willed Naperville North back.

Naperville North wide receiver Ryan Laurenzo catches a touchdown pass against Neuqua Valley on September 29, 2017.

After hitting Nick Calcagno for an 11-yard TD late in the third, he found Ryan Laurenzo and Calcagno for scores in the fourth.

“One thing about this team, we don’t give up easy,” Calcagno said. “Coach (Drendel) really stressed it in the second half – we have to come out firing and we have to score some points and make some stops. That’s what we did. We didn’t give up and I’m proud of our team because of that.”

Calcagno and Laurenzo caught 10 passes apiece from Davis while both breaking the 100-yard mark in receiving, with Laurenzo at 123 and Calcagno at 122.

To help counter what Davis and the Huskies’ offense did in the second half, Wildcats’ kicker Stephen Ruiz connected on three field goals.

A program-record 50-yard field goal early in the fourth from Ruiz followed a 37-yarder in the second and a 45-yarder late in regulation.

“I knew I had the leg,” said Ruiz, who converted from 37, 50 and 45 yards. “That wasn’t the issue, but (Wildcats’ coach Bill Ellinghaus) just looked at me from the sideline. He was going to punt the ball. He looked at me from the sideline. He’s like, ‘Stephen, can you hit this?’ I’m like, ‘yes, sir.’ I’m just fortunate that they gave me the opportunity.”

Up 18-6 at halftime, Neuqua Valley used ball control to slow the game down.

Its three scoring drives in the opening half lasted 64, 70 and 67 yards.

Pure design for an offense that prides itself on moving the ball on the ground and wanting to keep Davis and the high-octane Huskies sidelined.

“We felt like we could run on these guys and we did,” Ellinghaus said. “Both of our backs had 100 yards rushing. They ran well. We felt we could do that. We came out; we did that. We controlled the clock a little bit. We really felt like we had the game under control midway through the third quarter.”

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Blake Baumgartner
Blake Baumgartner
Raised in Naperville, Blake Baumgartner is a 2001 Naperville Central alumnus and a 2005 graduate of Michigan State's School of Journalism. Since March 2010, he has covered football, boys' basketball and baseball for both The Naperville Sun and Positively Naperville. Follow him on Twitter @BFBaumgartner.

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