Hardtke sparks Glenbard South past Larkin
A big third quarter was enough for Glenbard South to lock down a win on the road.
The Raiders scored 3 times in the penultimate period on the way to defeating Larkin, 33-20, in Upstate Eight action at Memorial Field.
Cade Hardtke and Trevor Burnett each ran for 2 scores for Glenbard South.
Larkin's Jamarion Stubbs scored on the final play of the first half to get the Royals within 14-6. But the Raiders scored on their first 3 possessions after the break. Quarterback Hardtke drove the Raiders 60 yards for the first one, covering the final 34 yards himself. Burnett and Kylen Henderson added scores less than 2 minutes apart to make it 33-6 after 36 minutes.
The third-quarter surge was really just a matter of getting back to basics.
"Just really focusing on the reads, executing our run game and being more physical at the line of scrimmage," Hardtke said.
Hardtke scored on a 10-yard run in the second quarter as the Raiders built a 14-0 lead.
"I think that's a part of my game that I feel pretty confident in," he said. "I feel like I run pretty hard and my linemen, they block really hard for me."
The Royals weren't quite finished, however. They answered Henderson's TD with a 68-yard drive. The big play was Stubbs' 53-yard scramble to the Raiders' 24. Four plays later he took it over from 10 yards out.
Larkin scored on its next possession with a pretty 33-yard completion from Dontrell Maxie to Timothy Scott. Stubbs' 2-point conversion made it 33-20 with 5:03 left but the Royals never got the ball back. The Raiders picked up 2 first downs on the ensuing drive and that was enough to run out the clock.
Stubbs did a little of everything for Larkin. He ran 23 times for 112 yards and 2 scores, caught 2 passes from Maxie, threw a completion, and came down with an interception on defense.
Burnett led a balanced Raiders' rushing attack with 96 yards on 17 tries. Hardtke ran for 83 and Henderson added 64 yards as the Raiders racked up 253 yards on the ground.
After a scoreless first quarter, Hardtke put the Raiders on the board with a 10-yard run around the right side. Burnett added his first score 5 minutes later and it looked like Glenbard was off to the races.
But the Royals had other ideas. On the Royals' next possession, Trevor Matison gained 37 yards on a fake punt to keep the drive alive. It looked like Larkin had run out of time when Stubbs' pass in the end zone was incomplete as the first-half clock expired. But the Raiders were whistled for pass interference, giving the Royals another down and Stubbs ran it in from 4 yards out.