Third straight Upstate Eight Valley title in Neuqua Valley’s sights
There’s little doubt that while Bryan Wells is due a lot of credit for building the Neuqua Valley program from the ground up during his 14 years at the helm of the program, Bill Ellinghaus has taken it to the next level.
Close to completing his third year leading the program, Ellinghaus has compiled a 28-5 career record while taking the Wildcats past the second round of the postseason for the first two times in the program’s history in each of the last two years.
While the 28 overall victories are impressive, keep in mind Neuqua Valley has yet to lose a conference game during Ellinghaus’ tenure and have an opportunity to clinch its third straight outright Upstate Eight Valley title on Friday by extending its winning streak to six.
“I think it’s huge. I mean, every team sets goals at the beginning of the year and I think a conference championship is definitely one of our goals,” Wildcats’ senior quarterback Broc Rutter said. “So we’re looking to really accomplish that and take it outright and I think everyone on our team knows that this week we can clinch an outright conference title. I think that just adds to the more fun this week.”
Ellinghaus’ Upstate Eight Conference tote is a perfect 19-0 entering Friday’s annual meeting with Waubonsie Valley at North Central College.
Metea Valley gunning for first-ever postseason trip
A
year ago, Metea Valley entered Week 9 still harboring postseason aspirations.
For the second straight year, as a worst-case scenario, the Mustangs will have the same situation laid out in from of them.
With games at Glenbard East and at home against Neuqua Valley to close out the year, Metea Valley (4-3, 3-2) just has to win one of them to become playoff eligible for the first time in program history.
“Oh, yeah. I mean, there’s no question that’s on our minds. We try to … our approach is kind of each day in practice, ‘What are we going to do in practice to get to Week 10?’” Metea Valley coach Ben Kleinhans said last week. “We just got to take care of business each Friday night. With each win, it gets more and more exciting.”
The Mustangs’ 48-6 victory over East Aurora last week has put everything they wanted at the start of the season in front of them with two games left.
Their hope that the lessons learned by dropping a home game in the regular-season finale to Waubonsie Valley in 2013 with playoff eligibility on the line can make a difference this season.
“We’re looking for, you know, it’s going to be an exciting finish to the season here on our schedule,” Kleinhans said. “It’s going to be good, competitive Friday nights and if we are fortunate enough to play well enough to get into the playoffs, we feel like we’re battle-tested enough throughout the year and (with) the way we’re finishing that with every week being a playoff game that we’ll be ready to go.”
Brad Sznajder setting records for Benet
While Benet broke its two-game losing streak with a 24-21 victory over Carmel last Friday night to get itself to playoff eligibility with its fifth victory of the season, senior running Brad Sznajder made his way into the record books.
After carrying the ball 39 times for 229 yards while running for two TDs against the Corsairs, Sznajder now holds both of Benet’s single-season and career rushing marks.
“Oh, it’s great and he deserves it,” Benet coach Pat New said. “We thought if Brad stayed healthy all year, he’d have a great chance of breaking those records because he ran for (817) last year as a junior and only playing in seven games. So we felt that he had a great chance. He’s 20 pounds heavier this year and we felt like he had a great chance of breaking that record this year.”
Sznajder has totaled 1,184 yards this season to go with 11 touchdowns and has 1,998 career rushing yards after running for 814 yards as a junior a year ago in light of Porter Ontko’s season-ending ACL tear against South Elgin in Week 2.
While breaking Tom Marth’s single-season mark of 1,086 yards in 1981 with his 229-yard effort against Carmel last week, Sznajder eclipsed E.J. Howe’s all-time mark of 1,581 yards from 2009-10 with his 115 yards against Marist on Sept. 26.
Naperville North shut out of postseason party
In a testament to the work both Larry McKeon and Sean Drendel have done to build and maintain the Naperville North football program among the state’s most respected programs, a streak of 17 straight postseason appearances in today’s day and age speaks for itself.
But as the adage says, “all good things must come to an end.”
Courtesy of last week’s 41-0 shutout loss to Wheaton Warrenville South at home, Naperville North won’t be invited to play in the postseason for the first time since 1996 as the longest active streak in the DuPage Valley Conference heading into this season officially comes to an end.
