As the fall sports season kicks off, Chase Kraucheunas steps into the spotlight as Del Val’s new starting varsity quarterback.  

The first home game of the Del Val season was against North Hunterdon High School on Aug. 28. As this hard-fought, 17-0 shutout progressed, the team energy became electric. The Terriers moved in perfect rhythm as passes connected and plays clicked. 

Kraucheunas and the Terriers were initially scheduled to face off against the Lions on Thursday, Aug. 27, but due to inclement weather, the game was pushed to the following day.  

North Hunterdon is a neighboring school to Del Val, located just 11 miles northeast. This created healthy competition between the students of both schools. The fever of a Friday night football game sparked the two opposing student sections, the Dawg Pound and The Jungle, to go head-to-head.

“I think Chase did a very good job and got the Dawg Pound hyped,” junior Grace Prouty said.

As the sun set and the lights grew brighter, the energy radiating from the stands was electrifying. The team synced on the field as the Pound chanted louder creating a bustling environment.

While some may write off a Week Zero game, which allows for out-of-conference match-ups, Kraucheunas stepped up as a leader. He wasted no time, scoring his first passing touchdown at the end of the first quarter. 

“He’s doing a great job,” Head Coach Ben Ibach said. “I thought tonight he stepped up, and I thought he really matured. He took a step forward tonight.”

Following in the footsteps of Kelton Ibach, the quarterback for the past two seasons, the pressure on Krauchenuas was heavy, but he pushed through and played forward. The start of the game was tough for both teams, leading to several punts, but Krauchenuas kept his eyes downfield and played with the confidence of a veteran.

“He doesn’t get rattled,” Ibach said. “He’s a guy that takes it play by play.”

Because North Hunterdon is a large school that is not in Del Val’s conference, the outcome of the game was hard to predict. 

Throughout the game, penalties played a massive role. Two touchdowns were overturned, the first for Del Val and the second for North, but the game ended in Del Val’s favor after a rushing touchdown, several turnovers for the defense and a final field goal.

By the end of the evening, Krauchenuas had thrown a passing touchdown, went 11 for 15 in passing attempts and earned 122 yards. He was thorough and accurate, even while so many eyes were fixed on him, but he couldn’t do it alone. As always, the win was a true team effort.

“I think he did an incredible job commanding the offense and playing both sides of the ball,” varsity football player and junior Gabriel Miller said. “It is extremely impressive, not many high schoolers are able to play quarterback and play a big role on defense, it shows a lot about how impressive of an athlete Chase is. Truly a leader.” 

As Kraucheunas becomes a standout leader on the team making plays with his feet and throwing on the run, he steps into his new era of high school football.

“It takes all of us, not just me,” Krauchenuas said. “It takes a team.”