West's Blackhawks sprint past Tomcats

Blackhawks jump to 40-6 halftime lead

If there was any hope of an upset, any thought of the unthinkable by East Aurora, Leon Spears made sure to wipe such notions away with such a burst of speed you would've sworn the game didn't even really start.

Spears, a 170-pound senior West Aurora tailback, took the opening kick to the house so quickly you would have thought he picked the ball right off the tee.

Spears, a 170-pound senior West Aurora tailback, took the opening kick to the house so quickly you would have thought he picked the ball right off the tee.

"I promised the guys I'd set a tone in the game and make sure we get good field position," Spears said. "They led the way and I just took it home."

"I promised the guys I'd set a tone in the game and make sure we get good field position," Spears said. "They led the way and I just took it home."

Heading into this season, Blackhawks coach Buck Drach said Spears' success with the Blackhawks' track relays in the spring gave him added confidence, but he ran with some swagger in his one quarter of play Friday night.

"It gave me a boost to work my talent into football," Spears said.

On the Blackhawks' first possession, his 62-yard bolt of a touchdown run was called back because of a sideline warning against West. So he merely covered that distance with runs of 11 and 50 yards to notch his second score. He then capped his night at the end of the first quarter with a 23-yard touchdown run.

Nothing like averaging 20 yards a carry and rolling to 194 total yards on six touches to open the season.

The Blackhawks won their ninth straight over the Tomcats and now lead the series 57-48-12.

The game did mark the first time East scored more than six points since 2000.

Spears' speed can give West fans some hope heading into DuPage Valley Conference play — but this is what could lead to an upset or two in the DVC: an offensive line that averages 263 pounds.

They've got some big boys up front and they all seemed capable of firing off the ball.

What will also help West going forward is the presence of 6-foot-3-inch Aviance King at receiver. Quarterback Malcohm Wood proved he had the arm strength to get it to him, so teams may not be stacking eight or nine in the box to combat Spears.

Bright spots

East Aurora has two spectacular athletes in quarterback Brian Robinson and running back Tinard Thompson.

At 5-7 and 180 pounds, Thompson is probably too slight to average 20 or more carries a game, but he is a dynamic runner who can change direction instantly.

This was to his detriment at times against West, however.

When Thompson looks at the film of this game, he'll see several carries that turned up little because he tried to dance too much. If he can learn to hit the hole in such cases, he'll make some big runs.

"We discussed it," Tomcats coach Bill Bryant said. "He played freshman-sophomore last year where you can get to the outside and outrun people. You can't do that at this level. You've got to take the vertical seams and take advantage of that. He'll get out of that."

I'd venture to say there will be few players in the Upstate Eight Conference who will be able to tackle him one on one in the open field.

Robinson is also an exciting young player. He excelled in the option Friday, showing great instincts. But he attempted only one pass, so his efficiency in that area is yet to be determined.

"Brian is going to be one heck of a ballplayer," Bryant said. "He's legitimate. He'll play college football. He has the size and he's smart on the field."

East will have to develop a passing game in the coming weeks, but both are players for whom opponents will have to game plan.

The Tomcats will also be aided by the return of running back Houston Redman from injury, another speedster who will complement the option.

"We're going to be able to open it up a bit," Bryant said. "Our offense is a lot different than it was last year."

jowczarski@scn1.com

EBB AND FLOW

n West Aurora scored four touchdowns in the first quarter in just 4:07 of possession to take a 26-0 lead.

n Tinard Thompson led the Tomcats with 60 yards rushing on 19 attempts. Brian Robinson added 40 yards and a TD.

n Blackhawks wideout Aviance King caught two passes from Malcohm Wood for 78 yards and two scores.

n East linebacker Juan Favela scored on a fumble recovery early in the fourth quarter to make it 40-12.

n West linebacker Brandon Warren had an interception in the first quarter that led to a score.

n Blackhawks tailback Leon Spears scored three touchdowns on two runs and a kickoff return.