Storm puts major dent in Royals' playoff hopes

Larkin loses late lead, waits for postseason news

ELGIN – South Elgin's latest comeback victory likely dealt a knockout blow to Larkin's playoff hopes.

The Royals had the momentum, a seven-point lead and the program's first trip to the postseason in three years in sight early in the fourth quarter Friday, but a series of miscues proved costly in the first-ever football meeting between the District U-46 foes.

The Storm capitalized on a Larkin turnover on downs and fumble to score pair of touchdowns in the final six minutes and rally for a 20-14 Upstate Eight Conference victory at Memorial Field.

The triumph marked the fifth second-half comeback of the year for South Elgin (7-2, 4-2), which likely secured a home game in the first round of the state playoffs next week. Meanwhile, Larkin (5-4, 2-4) was denied a sixth win, meaning the Royals will have to overcome extremely long odds to qualify for the postseason due to their weak strength of schedule.

"This was the team we needed to beat to get in the playoffs," said Larkin senior Jalen Williams, who ran for a game-high 191 yards on 26 carries. "We all wanted to come back next week. We didn't want to end it like this."

Larkin led 14-7 early in the fourth quarter when Williams was stopped short of a first down on fourth-and-2 from the South Elgin 35-yard line. It was the first defensive stop of the second half for the Storm, which wasted no time marching 66 yards in five plays as quarterback John Menken connected with receiver Jake Kumerow for an 18-yard touchdown pass. David Reisner's point after tied the score at 14 with 5:37 remaining.

The Storm's offense wasn't off the field for long as a Royals change at quarterback quickly backfired.

Junior Lee Jackson replaced sophomore Kyle Newquist under center on Larkin's ensuing drive, and Jackson was dropped for a two-yard loss on first down. Following a false start penalty, Jackson then fumbled the snap on second down, with South Elgin junior Andre York coming up with the recovery at the Royals 28.

"We put a whole package in for Lee that we were planning on using because I thought it would get loose," Larkin coach Matt Gehrig said.

The Storm took advantage as Bradley Birchfield scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 1-yard run nine plays later, putting South Elgin ahead 20-14 with 57 seconds left. The Storm nearly had to settle for a Reisner 27-yard field goal attempt earlier on the drive, but the Royals jumped offsides, giving South Elgin first and goal at the 4.

Menken completed 6 of 10 passes during the final two drives. He finished with 185 passing yards and two touchdowns. His top target was Kumerow, who finished with seven catches for 141 yards.

"When the passing game starts opening up we know we're going to put some points up on the board," Menken said. "We started moving the ball and things just started clicking."

The Storm led 7-0 at halftime after senior Sean Kolber came down with a 24-yard scoring reception on a Menken pass that was tipped by Larkin's Alex Wahl with 2:48 left in the second quarter.

Larkin seized control from the outset of the second half, putting 290-pound senior Cody Schue in the backfield with Williams. The duo alternated carries for 15 straight plays before Newquist connected with Wahl for an 8-yard touchdown pass to cap a 70-yard drive that spanned the first 8:10 of the third quarter.

Schue and Williams were back at it after the Royals defense forced a three-and-out on South Elgin's ensuing possession. A 46-yard Williams run set up Schue's 1-yard touchdown plunge on the last play of the third quarter, putting the Royals ahead 14-7.

"That move they made putting Schue in there made a little difference," said South Elgin coach Dale Schabert, who mentored at Larkin for 11 seasons. "I don't know if they tried that all year or just figured that out today, but that would have been a season changer for them if they'd seen that sooner. That was tough."

Added Williams: "We were pounding it and we switched our whole offense with Cody and me running it in the backfield. I had a couple big runs and Cody had a couple big runs, but we just couldn't convert in the fourth quarter."

Larkin outgained South Elgin 263-181 and the Royals defense held the Storm to negative-4 rushing yards on 22 carries. But Larkin lost the turnover battle 2-0 and was penalized six times for 30 yards compared to South Elgin's one penalty for five yards.

"The guys played their hearts out tonight and they really gave it all the effort that they possibly could," Gehrig said. "I'm couldn't be more proud of them and my hat's off to South Elgin for playing a really good football game."

SOUTH ELGIN 20, LARKIN 14

South Elgin        0     7     0    13   --   20

Larkin               0     0    14     0   --   14

SE – Kolber 24 pass from Menken (Reisner kick), 2:48

LARK – Wahl 8 pass from Newquist (kick failed), 3:45

LARK – Schue 1 run (Williams run), 0:00

SE – Kumerow 18 pass from Menken (Reisner kick), 5:37

SE – Birchfield 1 run (kick failed), 0:57

Team statistics             LARK          SE

First downs                        15              12

Comp.-Att.-Int.               2-5-1       11-24-0

Passing yards                     20             185

Rushing Att.-Yards          49-243       22-(-4)

Total yards                        263             181

Penalties-Yards                 6-30            1-5

Fumbles-Lost                    3-1              1-0

Individual statistics

Rushing

LARK: Williams 26-191, Schue 14-60, Skonieczny 2-1, Smith 1-0, Jackson 2-(-2), Lawton 1-(-3), Newquist 3-(-4).

SE: Birchfield 11-9, Menken 7-2, Gardner 1-(-1), Hansley 2-(-3), Reisner 1(-11).

Passing

LARK: Newquist 2-5-1 20.

SE: Menken 11-23-0 185, Failla 0-1-0 0.

Receiving

LARK: Williams 1-12, Wahl, 1-8.

SE: Kumerow 7-141, Kolber 1-24, Failla 3-20.