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Eddie Burns is a contributing writer for The Sun who previously covered prep sports, college football and the Kansas City Chiefs for a daily newspaper in Missouri. He will be part of our coverage team tomorrow night at Harshbarger-Welzel Field and oh by the way he is a Naperville North graduate. Below he shares a snapshot of this rivalry:

I figure I'll throw in my two cents. I was not at last year's game, but I do actually remember going to the Sept.1993 contest when I was in eighth grade. Both schools were fresh off their 1992 state championships in 5 & 6A. The buildup was huge because (I think) it was the DVC opener.

It was a close game throughout and North held a 10-7 late. (The) Huskies had the Tigers backed up deep in their own territory when WW South then-coach John Thorne busted out the mother of all trick plays ... the hook-and-ladder.

(It) worked ... the incredible play covered 92-yards with 2:27 remaining. The Tigers went on to win the game 14-10.

You know as a sports writer there are certain games you don't forget attending (and) this is one for me. I know I was only in 8th grade, but I still remember watching that play unfold. The WW South QB at the time was Tim Lester. (He was NCC's defensive coordinator last year and is now Elmhurst's head coach.) The play went from Lester to Kasey Klaas on the sideline and he threw a lateral to Bobby Nelson, who outran the Huskies defense.

***

As it turns out, Eddie has a pretty good memory. This is the lead to Bill Stone's archived game story from the Sept. 18, 1993 edition of The Beacon-News:

Warrenville --This game will be talked about for a long time.

Most of the legends will center around the unpredictable hook-and-ladder
pass play with less than three minutes left that gave Wheaton-Warrenville
South a 14-10 victory over Naperville North in front of an estimated crowd
of more than 8,000 fans at Grange Field on Friday.

With the Tigers trailing 10-7 and stuck on their 9-yard line, quarterback
Tim Lester threw a routine 11-yard curl pass to Kasey Klaas, who then
turned toward the sideline and pitched the ball to running back Bobby
Nelson
.

Nelson scampered the remaining 80 yards down the sideline for the winning
touchdown and an incredible finish to perhaps the greatest regular-season
game in the school's rich football tradition.

Not only were the Tigers (3-0) the defending Class 5A champions, and the
Huskies (2-1) the defending Class 6A champions but the Tigers and Huskies
are ranked No. 1 and 2, respectively, in the latest Class 6A state poll.

By wv2010, Waubonsie Valley High School student

In two short weeks, Waubonsie Valley has moved from the back half of the UEC standings to 3rd at 2-1 in conference play. That status will be seriously contested tonight, as a talented Lake Park team comes into Death Valley with both pride and playoff aspirations at stake. Lake Park posts an overall record of 1-4, but the Warriors must ignore this seemingly dismal mark. The Lancers beat Neuqua Valley 20-6, played Naperville Central to within eight points, and just last week took conference leading St. Charles East into double overtime, eventually losing a thriller 42-41. Simply put, Lake Park has been a squad that plays tough throughout, but fades out just before they can pull out a victory.

Last Friday very well could have marked a turning point in a previously disappointing campaign for Waubonsie Valley's football squad. With a 28-26 victory over arch-rival Neuqua Valley, the Warriors propelled themselves into the win column, and into the UEC conversation. At 1-3, the Warriors finally return to Death Valley for a showdown with 0-4 Elgin, in which they must continue their upward climb and their winning ways.

Kenneth Clay is The Sun's guest blogger. Mr. Clay, a sports writer for Waubonsie Valley's school newspaper "The Voice," is a junior. His views do not represent those of The Sun's and are entirely his own.

It is all the talk around town - Waubonsie Valley and Neuqua Valley going head-to-head tonight in the heart of downtown Naperville at North Central College to compete for bragging rights.

As always the football rivalry between the two schools remains heated with trash talking coming from both sides. The taunting for this highly anticipated match up started as early as last February, when the Neuqua men's basketball team devastatingly defeated the Warriors in the semi-sectionals to end the Waubonsie's great season. Characteristically, Waubonsie's fans just wouldn't stand for it and immediately chanted,"Wait until football! Wait until football!" Ever since then Facebook groups have started and are full of school pride and trash talk against the opposing school.

Wayne Bland is our first guest blogger. He runs PrepNow.org, which offers free college football scholarship information. In addition, PrepNow.org has a live weekly web radio show called The Football Recruiting Show!, which airs every Friday from 10-11 p.m.

It's so much more then just football!

If you are like me, you are really excited that high school football season is here again! I can hear the roaring crowds cheering loudly for their favorite teams. I remember families cuddling under blankets trying to keep warm on crisp autumn nights. The hot dogs, hot chocolate and, oh we canʼt forget the marching bands. I love the game!

For many of these young men, it is much more then a game. Football has become a sense of pride, accomplishment, and bravado. Many of these young men have dreams of playing at the college level and hopefully playing in the NFL.