One came into the 2014 season looking to establish an identity. One came into the 2014 season looking to cement a legacy.
With all but one of the six Naperville-area schools breaking in new quarterbacks this fall, Neuqua Valley’s Broc Rutter being the lone exception, many programs took comfort in those who the new guys under center would have the luxury to turn around and hand off to.
For Metea Valley’s Bryson Oliver, trying to alleviate pressure from the Mustangs’ first-year starting quarterback, senior Kyle Mooney was one thing. But being a part of the first Mustangs’ team to reach postseason play was worth more than any accolade he’d earn over the course of the season.
“That’s big to us. That’s very big,” Oliver said after the Mustangs’ 28-14 loss to Neuqua Valley on Oct. 24. “To have our picture up there on the Metea wall in (the school) for the rest of our (lives) … it’s going to be up there forever. To be the first class to make the playoffs in Metea Valley history and that’s what we’re looking forward to. But we’re not done yet. We’ve got a lot more work to do in the playoffs. We can do big things.”
A Class 8A first-round loss to Waubonsie Valley followed the next week, marred by Oliver hurting his ankle in the second quarter, but Oliver’s 1,701 rushing yards and 18 TDs will leave an imprint for years to come.
For Naperville Central’s Kevin Clifford, the chance to help junior quarterback Conor Joyce through the varsity wars served a dual purpose: to try and help the Redhawks repeat in Class 8A while also adding to the Clifford legacy.
Joining big brother Ryan as running backs on a Naperville Central state championship team after running for 779 yards and 15 TDs as a junior last year, Clifford entered 2014 as the undisputed No. 1 option for Mike Stine’s offense.
Clifford’s 1,571 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns played a big part in the Redhawks’ offense continually being able to play off and capitalize off a defense that forced 23 turnovers during a 9-3 campaign.
In a year that saw several running backs step to the fore in helping guide their respective offenses through a transition at quarterback, the years Oliver and Clifford each put forth for his respective team stood out for different reasons as the Offensive Players of the Year in their respective conferences can each add another honor: Positively Naperville’s 2014 Co-Prep Football Players of the Year.
Breaking Cameron Wilcox’s program single-season records of 1,280 yards and 15 TDs, both of which were set in Ben Kleinhans’ first year at the helm of the Metea Valley program in 2012, Oliver proved to be a constant force out of the backfield from the jump.
Named Co-Offensive Player of the Year in the Upstate Eight Valley along with Waubonsie Valley senior quarterback Zack Bennema, Oliver reached or eclipsed the 250-yard mark four times as he was also selected to the Illinois Football Coaches’ Association Class 8A All-State team.
“Not really (surprised). Not really. Bryson’s been … all summer, everywhere we went, I felt like he was one of the best players on the field in a 7-on-7 tournament or a camp or whatever,” Kleinhans said in late September. “He’s so dynamic and he’s so motivated this year. We were really, really excited about what he was going to do.
“I think the only question was—over the summer—was could he carry the load? You know, carry the ball 20, 25 times a game, even 30 times a game, and he did a couple weeks ago. He’s proven he can do that and he proved it all summer. So I don’t think we’re surprised at all. He’s very good and we’ve got a very good offensive line in front of him.”
Only once was the 5-foot-6, 150-pound Oliver held under 100 yards and that was in the Mustangs’ 48-6 rout of East Aurora on Oct. 10, which saw Oliver gain a modest 60 yards on five carries.
A week earlier, Oliver repeatedly gashed Waubonsie Valley’s defense to the tune of a season-high 258 yards and four TDs on 44 carries in a 38-37 Metea Valley loss.
“There’s no question Oliver’s a damn good back,” Waubonsie Valley coach Paul Murphy said in the days leading up to the rematch between the two programs in the first round of the Class 8A playoffs.
Meanwhile, Clifford, the 2014 DuPage Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Year, was as reliable as it gets for an offense that struggled to put points on the board at times.
Perhaps Clifford’s best moment of his senior season came in the second round of the Class 8A playoffs as he and his teammates got revenge on Waubonsie Valley for a 20-6 loss in Week 1.
Toting the rock 34 times for 248 yards and two TDs, Clifford’s two fourth-quarter scores represented the only scoring in the last 12 minutes as the Redhawks turned a 14-10 deficit into a 24-14 victory.
“Once I get a hole, it’s my job to really just make people miss and the offensive line is getting me in space and from there, it’s just all me,” he said following the 10-point win on Nov. 8. “So (my O-line), they really do an unbelievable job—the coaching staff and the O-line fighting.”
Throughout the year, Stine kept honing a message of being able to establish an offensive identity and Clifford, whose season-high of 256 yards came in the Redhawks’ 27-6 victory over Naperville North on Oct. 3, made that all the more easier.
Running for a state single-season record 51 touchdowns while also scoring a single-season state record 314 points as Naperville Central won the Class 6A state title in 1999, older brother Ryan set the bar pretty high.
Fifteen years after Ryan’s monster senior season, which ended with a 56-31 victory over Schaumburg in the Class 6A state title game, Kevin leaves Naperville Central knowing full well the Clifford name will live on in Naperville Central football lore.
Just ask his teammates.
“Cliff’s a special player. He’s my best friend. I’ve never met a kid that works harder than Kevin Clifford,” Redhawks’ senior wide receiver Michael Kolzow said. “I’m going to miss playing with him. I’m going to miss being in the backfield with him all the time. I’m just going to miss him, man.”
