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West Aurora rolls over rival East Aurora

It was standing room only for the latest edition of Illinois' oldest high school football rivalry Friday night at West Aurora.

But East Aurora coach Kurt Becker undoubtedly wished Drake Spears and the Cross twins were sitting in the West Aurora student section.

"When you have kids like that, you have difference-makers," Becker said after the triumvirate combined for 6 unanswered touchdowns in the Blackhawks' 41-8 Upstate Eight Conference Valley game.

"They're difference-makers. That's pretty good kids playing high school ball. They're going to give a lot of teams trouble."

It was the Blackhawks' 15th consecutive victory in the series that began in the fall of 1893.

Spears set the game into running-clock mode when he scored on the first play of the third quarter from 13-yards out after East Aurora (1-4, 0-3) muffed the second-half kickoff.

On his last touch of the first half, Spears raced 80 yards to give West Aurora (3-2, 1-1) a 34-0 lead at the intermission.

"The offensive line did a great job the whole night," Spears said center Doug Elkins, guards Joshua Mayhew, Sam Deisher, rotating tackles Alex Debolt, Dante Battle, Owen Thomas and tight end Travon Agee. "All of them. (On the long run) I was following my lead blocker, Sam Deisher, saw a hole and went through it."

Spears, headed to Illinois as a projected safety, finished with 169 yards rushing on 8 carries; the senior also had a pair of catches to surpass the 200-yard barrier in all-purpose yards.

Spears' 5-yard burst on the Blackhawks' opening possession would be the first of his three scores.

DaQuan and DaVion Cross were equally unmerciful to the Tomcats.

DaQuan Cross had half of his 4 carries end in touchdowns, including a brilliant cut against the grain in the second quarter that translated into a 35-yard run.

DaVion Cross was instrumental to three separate scores as the junior not only scored on a 19-yard run but set up two others with punt returns of almost 50 combined yards.

"This is the first time since I've been here that we've had a punt-return weapon," West Aurora coach Nate Eimer said. "It's such a big momentum (swing) when you have a big punt return. (DaVion) did the same thing against Plainfield East. He flipped the field with his returns."

"He is a real good cutter and sets his blocks up nice," DaQuan Cross said of his brother.

West Aurora did not allow its archrival a single yard passing; Fabian Guerrero, James Roggeman and Darryl Watkins all had recovered turnovers for the Blackhawks.

East Aurora averted the shutout when Daishawn Hill scored on a 5-yard run early in the fourth quarter.

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