AURORA – It was a memorable night for first-year head coach Tom Baumgartner. His Waubonsie Valley football team came from behind to defeat Metea Valley, 26-24, at Metea Valley High School on Friday night. Not only was it the team’s first win of the season, but it was Baumgartner’s first career win as head coach.
Metea Valley (0-2 overall, 0-2 in the DVC) struck first on its initial drive, then tacked on a field goal to lead 10-0.
(photo credit / Rommel Bon, RBon Images)
In the second quarter, Waubonsie’s offense came to life. Junior quarterback Nate Pappas threw a 7-yard touchdown pass to junior Tyler Helbing. Four minutes later, Pappas threw to Helbing again for a 15-yard touchdown strike.
The Warriors (1-1 overall, 1-1 in the DVC) opened the third quarter with a 7-minute drive, capped off by a Jebron Lee 10-yard touchdown run. Waubonsie held their 20-10 lead throughout the third quarter before Metea stormed back with 14 straight points to open the fourth.
With 5:10 remaining in the game, the Warriors drove down inside the 10-yard line. On fourth and goal with :35 left, Pappas lofted a pass to senior Sean Clinton, who grabbed it for the touchdown.
“Just really proud of our kids, the way they battled, not only tonight, but really the last year,” said Baumgartner. “That [Naperville Central game] was an eye opener for our guys. That experience last week really set the tone for practice. I think our guys will tell you, ‘we can play even better, and we can play even faster,’.”
The Warriors host DeKalb on Saturday for a 2:00 p.m. kickoff at Dick Kerner Stadium. The game will be broadcast on wvtvmedia.org.