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Larkin breaks away for victory over Mundelein

After struggling to move the football for three-plus quarters, visiting Larkin came through with two touchdowns in the final six minutes of its nonconference football opener Friday night at Mundelein.

The Royals (1-0) fell behind 3-0 in this defensive struggle when Mundelein junior Eric Morales booted a 24-yard field goal with 7:14 remaining in the second quarter.

But the Mustangs (0-1) would not get on the scoreboard the rest of the way as senior back-up quarterback D.J. Ball gave Larkin the spark it needed en route to an exciting 14-3 victory over stunned Mundelein.

Larkin sophomore quarterback Mark Narvaez (4-for-10, 75 yards passing) also played a key role down the stretch for the Royals as they put together a 91-yard scoring drive in the fourth quarter..

After a 20-yard pass from Narvaez to Jahari Stubbs put the ball on the Larkin 28-yard-line, starting running back Ball who (4 carries for 14 yards) entered the game at quarterback midway through the fourth quarter to help pave the way to victory.

The biggest play of the game was a 50-yard strike from Ball (1-for-2 passing, 50 yards) to senior teammate Kindrel Morris on a fourth-and-11 play to take the ball down to the Mundelein 11.

Then on the next play, and the first time he touched the ball in the game, Larkin junior running back Pierre Black (2 carries for 11 yards) bolted right up the middle of the field for an 11-yard TD run with exactly six minutes to play. The extra point by sophomore Adrian Jaramillo gave the Royals the lead for keeps at 7-3.

"I thought our defense actually played well most of the night, but we were pretty ineffective offensively, we were not executing, and a lack of discipline really bit us," said Mundelein coach Larry Calhoun, whose team had 214 total yards of offense. "We had a couple guys break assignments, and we have to help our defense out a little bit."

Mundelein quarterback Anthony Norris (7-for-23, 81 yards passing) had his tipped pass intercepted by Larkin's Diego Facio with exactly five minutes to play as the Royals took over on their own 45-yard-line.

Then with Narvaez back at quarterback and milking the clock, Larkin marched 55 yards on 10 plays with Morris (57 yards on 14 rushes) taking a pitch and bolting 25 yards down the sideline for the touchdown on a fourth-and-1 play with less than a minute to play. Jaramillo's extra point put the finishing touches on a fantastic comeback victory by the Royals.

"This is my first year playing quarterback too (like Narvaez), and it's all about making good reads," said Ball, who was one of the Larkin players to have leg cramps during the second half. "Now we know how to win, and we shouldn't have to freeze up and have pre-game jitters."

It was the second year in a row Larkin had beaten Mundelein after the Mustangs won in 2015.

"We definitely struggled a lot offensively early, and we were able to make some adjustments at halftime and started moving the ball," said Larkin coach Dragan Teonic, whose team was also hampered by eight penalties for 65 yards. "Ball was a spark that got us going, and then Narvaez came back and did a great job in the end."

"They just fought to the end for each other and I'm proud of them for that," added Teonic.

Mundelein's offense was led by Norris with 64 yards rushing on 11 attempts, and senior teammate Isaiah Wellman with 56 yards on 11 rushes.

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