Henley, Maine West rush past Larkin
Maine West is off to another promising start after a 46-13 rout of visiting Larkin on Friday night.
The next step for the Warriors is sustaining that momentum over the rest of the season, and the addition of Anthony Henley might give them enough to get over the hump.
The running back followed up last week's auspicious debut for Maine West with 227 yards and 3 touchdowns on 21 carries against the Royals.
Marteen Robinson provided 151 yards and a pair of scores on only five attempts, including a 96-yard sprint just before the end of the first half.
"Our (offensive line) is huge. We have a great O line coach," Warriors coach Jason Kradman said. "They're all doing a really nice job. Our tight ends, fullbacks and receivers are doing a great job blocking downfield. It's a team effort. Henley is certainly making them look very good."
After transferring from Evanston, Henley had 167 yards on 31 carries in a 14-0 win at Proviso East last week.
"I'm glad I'm on this team," the senior said. "I love these boys. They make me proud."
Maine West (2-0) dropped six of its final seven games after winning its first two last season, the program's best beginning since 2005. The Warriors will work toward a different finish to this campaign beginning next week at Hoffman Estates.
At least one area they'll need to clean up is penalties. Maine West was flagged 10 times for 80 yards and gave Larkin three of its 13 first downs.
"We're hoping to turn the corner," Kradman said. "I think we're a different team this year. Hopefully, we could do some nice things in practice this week and see what we can do against Hoffman.
"We feel like we're headed in the right direction and hopefully we can take the next step."
The Warriors got their other 2 touchdowns through the air in the final quarter. Sam Kindle connected with Matt Kentgen from 10 yards away with 10 minutes left, and George Markakis' 39-yard strike to Justin Lowery was the game's final score.
Kindrel Morris ran for a 9-yard touchdown in each half for Larkin (1-1), which was denied its first 2-0 start since 2009.
The Royals were also seeking to surpass their win total from coach Dragan Teonic's first two seasons, and they will try to rebound in next week's Upstate Eight River opener at St. Charles North.