Aurora Christian tops Amboy
Aurora Christian is a team that is known for making big offensive plays, and in its game against Amboy, they did just that, several times.
The Eagles went the length of the field in a last-minute drive before halftime that ended with wideout Michael Friend out-jumping two Clipper defenders for a TD. There was a 65-yard TD pass to John Smith and a 25-yard run for TD by QB Jordan Roberts. Aurora Christian also got a 78-yard kickoff return for touchdown by Sean O'Boyle that gave Aurora Christian a lead late in the game.
But what makes this team different from high-flying Eagles team of the past is that big plays that are also being made on the defensive side of the ball. And plays don't get much bigger than fourth down and inches at your own 15 with 30 seconds remaining in a state quarterfinal game. Amboy handed the ball to its senior fullback Taylor Kaleel and the Eagles' defense, led by Luis Solario, Ryan Perik and Peter Kariotis, stuffed the play and secured a 32-26 victory and a date with defending 3A champion Plano next week in the semifinals.
"That was rough," said Kariotis of the final play. "But once again we were able to shut them down and we just get fired up when we know we have to make the big play, that's just what we do."
"I'm ecstatic right now," said Friend. "This is the farthest Aurora Christian has ever been. Every other year there is just that one play we come up flat, but this year we have been able to make it."
After surrendering 20 points and 200 yards to Amboy (9-3) in the first half, the Eagles gave up just 94 yards and 6 points in the second half and the Clippers' one scoring drive of the second half was sustained by a roughing the passer penalty.
"Defense won the game and it has won all our big games," said Aurora Christian coach Don Beebe. "My brother Dave (Beebe, the Eagles' defensive coordinator) made some tremendous adjustments at halftime that just shut that team down in the second half. We went to more of a four-man line and we made sure that we took away that option fullback dive that was just killing us in the first half. If we wouldn't have made that adjustment, I'm not sure we would have stopped them in the second half."
After Aurora Christian (12-0) jumped out to an 8-0 lead, the Eagles committed two turnovers that the Clippers took advantage of to take a 14-8 lead. Roberts hit Smith running free behind the secondary to tie the game at 14-14.
Amboy sophomore running back Cody Richardson put his team back on top by catching a 2-yard TD pass. Richardson scored all four Clipper TDs, rushing for three others. He had 129 yards rushing in the game, 114 in the first half.
With just 1:08 left in the half, Roberts directed a 77-yard drive without any timeouts left. Roberts hit Matt Morse three times on the drive but the big play was Friend's athletic grab that tied the game at 20 at the half.
"Mike had that great catch, oh my God," said Roberts. "Mike is so good, he'll go up there and get that ball with his size and take the hit. It's great having him."
In the second half, after the defense forced a three-and-out by the Clippers, the Eagles went right down and scored to take a 26-20 lead but Amboy answered with its only real drive of the half to tie the game.
O'Boyle made it a short-lived tie and he took the ensuing kickoff 78 yards for what would prove to be the winning score.
"That was a back-breaker right there," said Amboy coach Gary Jones. "As soon as I saw that ball hanging in the air, I thought 'Oh my God, don't let him catch it on the run,' and he did and that was a turning point right there. It took us eight, nine minutes to score and eight seconds later, boom, they are right back on us."
"When they tied it up, I just told my team 'Guys we need to keep our heads up because I'm going to take this one back, I'm going to score,'" said O'Boyle. "I have to give it all to God and I have to give it all to my blockers because without their blocks I would not have been able to do that."
"I told Sean to move up 5 yards," said Beebe. "And then I got into Sean's face and I told him the last two returns you're dancing around like it's a punt return and I told him 'You catch that ball and you run as fast and a hard as you can up the middle, if it's there, it's there; if not, we'll take it but no more dancing.' And I tell you, he shot out of a cannon."