For the last time of the season, fans filled Mustang Stadium with energy for homecoming night against conference rival Naperville Central. A Metea victory would keep them in playoff contention, as Central tried to play spoiler.
“It was an awesome experience to see the home crowd one more time this year,” sophomore Shea Ruxton said.
The game started heavily in Metea’s favor. On Central’s first drive, sophomore Tré Jordan forced a strip sack, leading to a turnover on downs. On the next play, junior Charlie Larson handed the ball to senior Zoelen Terry, who scored a 57-yard touchdown with great blocking, putting the Mustangs up by seven. On Central’s next drive, senior linebackers Spencer Gondek and Caden Phillips forced a fumble, recovered by the Mustangs. On fourth down, Larson’s pressured throw tipped into the arms of junior Marcus Sewart for a miraculous conversion, though Metea was later intercepted. The Mustangs still led by seven at the end of the first quarter.
Following another defensive stop, the Mustang offense regained possession. Larson threw a 72-yard bomb to wide-open senior Christopher Jordan for a touchdown, extending the lead to 14 early in the second quarter. Central marched down the field, but Jordan forced and recovered a fumble in the red zone to stop the drive. After a quick offensive drive, the defense forced yet another turnover when Jordan sacked the quarterback, causing a fumble recovered by junior Logan Phelan. Central managed to score a late touchdown before halftime, cutting the deficit to seven.
Naperville Central carried that momentum into the second half, scoring a touchdown on the very first play to tie the game. The score was still tied entering the fourth, with Central driving. Metea needed a play, and they got one: sophomore Jeramiah Delaney’s pressure led to a tough throw, and Phillips made a play-of-the-year jumping, one-handed interception. On the following play, Larson hit senior Trent Sterling for a huge gain, moving Metea into the red zone. Junior Marquis Brown then punched it in for a touchdown, giving the Mustangs the lead back. However, Central immediately marched down the field and scored a touchdown to tie the game with three minutes left.
After a stalled Metea drive and a punt, the defense had to stop Central with two minutes remaining. The defense held firm, but Central was still in field goal range. With two seconds left, the entire stadium started buzzing, making any sound to distract the kicker.
“The ground was shaking, the moment was surreal,” Ruxton said.
The defense managed to disrupt the snap, forcing Central to try a last-second play, which failed. With the game tied at zero seconds, it went to overtime.
Central got the ball first in overtime and scored a touchdown on the first play, taking their first lead of the game. On Metea’s turn, Larson was intercepted, ending the game. The final score was 27-21.
“[The loss] showed the team that even though we have evolved from last season, there are still things we can improve on,” sophomore Harry Taparia said.
With the loss, Metea is officially eliminated from playoff contention, dropping its record to 2-5. The Mustangs still look to finish the season strong.
“I just want {my teammates} to have fun these last two weeks, especially the seniors,” Taparia said, “at the end of the day, playing football for the game itself should be the main goal no matter what your role is in the team.”
Metea Valley looks to close out its last two games on the road against tough teams in Lockport and Homewood-Flossmoor.
