West Aurora routs West Chicago
West Aurora fans waited patiently in line for a slice of pizza and a soft drink and had to cheer their Blackhawks' first 3 touchdowns from the concession line.
The Blackhawks raced out to a 20-0 lead in the game's first six minutes, and finished off the homecoming celebration with a 48-8 victory over Upstate Eight Valley rival West Chicago Friday night.
After the Wildcats started the game going three downs and out on offense, Blackhawk quarterback Johnathan Doyle hit running back Drake Spears for a 60-yard touchdown pass for a 7-0 lead.
"That's what coach was speaking all week was to come out here and take care of our business," Spears said of the quick start. "We're trying to get to the playoffs, so that's what we need to do. I hope this is how we continue to play the rest of the season."
West Aurora's defense forced another three-and-out, and junior DaQuan Cross scored on a 36-yard run for a 14-0 Blackhawks lead.
The ensuing kickoff was fumbled and junior Steve Norman recovered on the Wildcats' 9-yard line. Doyle scored from 1 yard out four plays later for a 20-0 lead with 5:51 still to go in the first quarter.
On West Chicago's next possession, sophomore quarterback Lucas Seeman completed a 9-yard pass to Mason Otzwirk to set up a fourth-and-1 on their own 43-yard line, but the Blackhawks stuffed the fourth down run play to force the Wildcats to turn the ball over to them on downs.
Five plays later, the score was 27-0 when Spears darted for a 25-yard touchdown as the first quarter came to an end.
Spears struck again for his third touchdown of the game on West Aurora's next possession early in the second quarter. Doyle found Spears in the end zone from 6 yards out for a 34-0 lead.
With less than nine minutes remaining in the second quarter, the Wildcats earned their first first down on a Blackhawks penalty. Seeman then found Mikey Bibbs for a 26-yard pass to give them another first down on the Blackhawks' 25-yard line.
Cross scored his second touchdown of the game on the Blackhawks' next possession on a 77-yard run. The junior tailback saw a team on a mission that he hopes will carry them into the playoffs at the end of the season.
"We came out on a mission," Cross said. "We came out determined not to lose our homecoming and to come out strong. I just have to think Chandler (Behrens) for that block down the field (on the 77-yard touchdown), he ran with me, and then it was just pretty much a foot race. We have to come out just like we came out tonight. We have to come out on a mission and determined to win."
West Aurora (4-2, 3-1) made it 48-0 as time ran out in the first half on a 1-yard run by junior Daniel Ferencak.
West Chicago (1-5, 1-2) scored its lone touchdown with two minutes remaining the game on a running clock. Alex Turney completed two straight passes to Zachary Stefan for 27 and 26 yards, respectively, and then took it in himself from 2 yards out.
West Aurora coach Nate Eimer challenged his team to begin a winning tradition in West Aurora and credited his defense with setting the tempo for the past two weeks.
"I thought our kids did a really good job tonight," he said. "I challenged them tonight. It's been a long time since West Aurora had a 4-2 record in week six, and we didn't want anything to get in our way. Our defense has given up only 15 points in the last two weeks, so I think that's really what's been carrying us. We've got South Elgin next week and they're a tremendous team, so hopefully we can keep this going and keep playing fast."
Wildcats coach Ted Monken is working to build a program in West Chicago and realizes it's going to take some time to change the mindset.
"We're just a long way from where we want to be," Monken said. "We're working hard every day, but we're just not there yet. We've got to spend more time in the weight room and invest more in the offseason, so that on nights like this, we're a better matchup for the opponent. We're at the beginning stages of getting this thing turned around. I think we'll get it done, but it's going to take some time."
Monken was encouraged by the way his team continued to battle despite being down by such a large margin the second half.
"All year long, even when we've struggled, we've always fought in the second half and never given up, and that's the first thing that's important," Monken said. "We just have to continue to develop and get size and speed, and then when we get into games like this we will feel like we can hold our own."