Neuqua Valley (5-3, 5-1 Upstate Eight Valley) @ Metea Valley (5-3, 4-2 Upstate Eight Valley), Friday, 7:30PM.
Last week: Neuqua Valley lost to Waubonsie Valley, 35-28; Metea Valley won at Glenbard East, 47-27
Storyline: Both teams come into Friday night’s meeting in Aurora with identical 5-3 records and with the same goal in mind: win and take all the guesswork out of the equation.
While both programs stand good chances of getting into the postseason, the winner officially will be in the postseason and the loser will have to rely on its playoff points in hopes of getting in.
Neuqua Valley saw its five-game winning streak get halted behind a Waubonsie Valley offense that used its big-play capabilities to turn a 28-21 Neuqua Valley advantage into an eventual 35-28 victory for Waubonsie Valley.
The Wildcats can guarantee themselves a share of the Upstate Eight Valley title with a victory over a Metea Valley program it has never lost to in four all-time meetings.
Against Waubonsie Valley, Neuqua Valley’s Indiana State-bound quarterback, Broc Rutter, tossed a pair of touchdown passes in Evan Moore’s direction while throwing for 244 yards and three touchdowns despite only completing around 50 percent of his passes.
Meanwhile, Metea Valley is postseason eligible for the first time in program history after going out on the road and getting an impressive 47-27 victory over Glenbard East.
Nick Dodson had 238 receiving yards and two touchdowns for the Mustangs, who received yet another strong game from running back Bryson Oliver against the Rams as he ran for 258 yards and three scores.
Neuqua Valley coach Bill Ellinghaus on Metea Valley: “They’re on a high right now. … First time they’ve ever qualified for the playoffs. Like every other week, we have to stop their run game. I think that will be first and foremost. (Bryson) Oliver is having a great year. He’s a dynamic back. He’s tiny, but he’s extremely shifty and he’s done a great job.
“I think the thing about (Mooney) is he has gotten better and better every week. I mean, when a kid starts for the first year, you sometimes take a few games to get adjusted and he’s done a nice job of getting better and better each and every week. They’re playing well right now and we got to find a way to stop their run game and certainly contain their passing game. … But I feel like our defense has played well all year and I feel like they’re up for a challenge. I mean, losing to Waubonsie doesn’t sit real well with us right now.
“They’re mixing it up. They’re definitely doing some different things defensively and there’s a lot of things that we see differently on film this year than in the past.”
Metea Valley coach Ben Kleinhans on Neuqua Valley: “We’re just excited to play them and in a game that means something on your home field. Just like Waubonsie, they’re the type of program that we’re striving to be and try to close the gap and get up there, in that realm with them. With the Waubonsie game, we lost to Waubonsie by one point when years’ before we hadn’t been within 35 points of them. So (it’s) just another game for us to show that we’ve closed the gap and that we can compete with anyone around here.
“Hopefully we’ve cleaned up some things and we get into a game-winning opportunity in the fourth quarter and we have an opportunity to come up and win a football game. Our kids are confident in that. We’re just excited. It’s just going to be a great atmosphere. Both teams want to get that sixth win and not leave anything to chance with the playoffs. There’s a lot on the line and we’re looking forward to it.
“I think, offensively, they’re a lot more diverse than they’ve been in the past. They’re not just relying on the ground game like they have the past couple years. I think Broc Rutter is probably the best individual offensive player that we have, will play this year, just from all of our other opponents. He’s outstanding. He’s the leader of that team. You can tell that he’s in complete control and he makes big-time plays. He makes throws that a lot of high school quarterbacks can’t make and he’s very calm. He’s been there before.
“He started all season last year. He’s been in some big games, won big games. He’s having a phenomenal year, so he’s definitely somebody that we have to prepare for and know that we’re not going to really shut him down. He’s going to make some plays, make some throws, make some plays with his legs. We just got to try to minimize the big plays and not let him go off and have some crazy game where he’s throwing for five or six touchdown passes.”
