East Aurora continues to strive for improvement each game, and Waubonsie Valley is trying to play out its schedule in preparation for the postseason. That was the story at the home of the Warriors on Friday as they defeated the Tomcats 49-0.
Waubonsie’s offense kicked into gear quickly as running back Austin Guido (11 carries for 107 yards, all in the first half) ran for two scores in the first quarter. He finished a six-play, 55-yard drive with a five-yard touchdown run, and had a one-yard burst to conclude another drive of seven plays covering 54 yards.
As the second quarter opened, Kyle Neese dashed for an eight-yard score to give the Warriors a 21-0 advantage. On East’s next possession, Keon Dantzler picked off an errant Victor Garcia pass, and returned 24 yards to the Tomcats 21. Two plays later, Christian Gibbs grabbed a 15-yard TD pass from Dylan Warden to extend the margin.
Four minutes later, Gibbs turned in the most electric play of the game, an 89-yard punt return which ended at the East Aurora three-yard line.
“I saw all the green grass out here to the right, and I just took off with it. At the end, I just gassed out,” said Gibbs, who had covered about 140 yards by the end of the sprint.
Demario Webb scored on the next play, which was the first touchdown the starting running back has scored at home this season.
“I was just really looking forward to getting it,” said Webb. “Mostly I’ve been blocking, but I’ve been getting runs here and there, and feel that I’ve been contributing a lot to the team.”
Early in the third quarter, Jon Fizer carried the ball three times for 35 yards, and finished a short drive with a two-yard run to give the Warriors a 42-0 margin.
Coach Paul Murphy substituted liberally, and 12 different players had carried the ball by game’s end.
“We tried to clean up some of the things we didn’t do well last week, and I was pleased with our effort,” said Murphy. “And it was a chance to get some of the subs in on Friday night under the lights.”
Brock Westwood had an interception for Waubonsie (7-1, 4-1 UEC Valley) in the third quarter, and it led to the Warriors’ final tally.
Terry Durns scored from 14 yards out at the end of a 65-yard drive and Victor Carbajal added his seventh conversion kick to conclude the scoring.
“We have shades of brilliance sometimes, and then we have lapses that just destroy us,” said East coach Kurt Becker. “Bringing the program back is going to be a slow process. Tonight, kids became football players. We can judge ourselves on our performance — how we play, the effort we give, and how we function as a team. We’re moving in the right direction.”
