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St. Charles East makes it 7-0 with win over Larkin

St. Charles East continued its march toward the playoffs and kept its undefeated season in tact with a 55-15 rout of Larkin on Friday night at Memorial Field in Elgin in Upstate Eight River Division action.

The Saints (7-0, 4-0) steamrolled their way to 452 yards rushing. Sophomore Justin Jett led the ground assault with 215 yards on 22 carries, including 3 touchdowns.

"That's just us," East coach Bryce Farquhar said. "Everybody knows we like to the run the ball and we came in determined to establish that right from the start. I am proud of the way are offensive line played so physical. That's what we like to see out of them."

The Saints' punishing style led to 5 drives of 60 yards or more on their first 5 possessions of the game. East set the tone early marching 65 yards on 9 plays on the opening possession of the game, culminating in a 2-yard touchdown run by Jett.

"We just wanted to come out strong," Jett said. "They weren't playing a lot of guys in the box so we took advantage of that. The momentum of the game just continued to carry our way and we got stronger as the game went on."

The Saints followed with drives of 81, 68, 62, and 68 yards. Jett scored the Saints' second touchdown on a 13-yard run. Quarterback Zach Mitchell, who had 110 yards rushing on 6 carries, followed with touchdown runs of 4 and 48 yards. Jett added a 20-yard touchdown run in the first half and Mitchell had a 5-yard touchdown pass to Patrick Griffin.

The Saints led 42-8 at halftime.

Larkin (4-3, 2-2) briefly took the lead 8-7 on its first possession when quarterback David Hibbler connected with Elijah Hernandez on a 74-yard touchdown pass on the Royals' first play from scrimmage. Hibbler ran in a 2-point conversion after a botched snap on a kick attempt.

However, the Saints scored 41 unanswered points before Larkin finally broke the run on a 76-yard touchdown run by Kindrel Morris. Morris finished with 142 yards on 16 carries,

"We were able to make a couple of big plays," Larkin coach Dragan Teonic said. "But they are a (heck of) a team. They played with a confidence and swagger that we couldn't match. I think right now we are a fair to good team and they are a very good team. Some of our weaknesses got exposed."

Nate Kohler added a 6-yard touchdown run for the Saints' final score.

St. Charles East quarterback Zachary Mitchell scores on a second-quarter keeper against Larkin Friday night at Memorial Field in Elgin. Mary Beth Nolan for the Daily Herald
Larkin's Morris Kindrel fights for extra yardage on a return as St. Charles East's Stephen Abruzzo, left, and Justin Galante make the stop in the first quarter of their Upstate Eight River contest Friday night at Memorial Field in Elgin. Mary Beth Nolan for the Daily Herald
Larkin defensive back Denzel Goodwin (22) defends a pass intended for St. Charles East's Clayton Isbell in the second quarter of their Upstate Eight River contest Friday night at Memorial Field in Elgin. Mary Beth Nolan for the Daily Herald
Larkin receiver Elijah Hernandez slips behind the St. Charles East defense for a touchdown catch in the first quarter of their Upstate Eight River contest Friday night at Memorial Field in Elgin. Mary Beth Nolan for the Daily Herald
St. Charles East quarterback Zachary Mitchell passes in the second quarter of their Upstate Eight contest Friday night at Memorial Field in Elgin. Mary Beth Nolan for the Daily Herald
Larkin quarterback David Hibbler eludes pursuit by St. Charles East defenders on a pass play in the first quarter of their Upstate Eight contest Friday night at Memorial Field in Elgin. Mary Beth Nolan for the Daily Herald
Larkin quarterback David Hibbler attempts a pass as St. Charles East's Nichikas Piaskowy defends in the second quarter of their Upstate Eight contest Friday night at Memorial Field in Elgin. Mary Beth Nolan for the Daily Herald
St. Charles East running back Nicholas Garlisch tries to shake Larkin defensive back Elijah Hernanez in the first quarter of their Upstate Eight contest Friday night at Memorial Field in Elgin. Mary Beth Nolan for the Daily Herald
St. Charles East running back Justin Jett fights his way into the end zone for a touchdown in the first quarter of their Upstate Eight contest Friday night at Memorial Field in Elgin. Mary Beth Nolan for the Daily Herald
St. Charles East running back Justin Jett (11) celebrates his touchdown with lineman Maxwell Schumann in the first quarter of their Upstate Eight contest with Larkin Friday night at Memorial Field in Elgin. Mary Beth Nolan for the Daily Herald
Larkin linebackers Manny Cruz, left, and Jose Bosque stand at attention for the national anthem before kickoff of their Upstate Eight game with St. Charles East Friday night at Memorial Field in Elgin. The school also honored 2003 graduate, Staff Sgt. Adam Thomas who died Monday in Afghanistan. Mary Beth Nolan for the Daily Herald
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