Larkin topples East Aurora
Solid performances by Brandon Cooks, Jeff Saurbaugh and Justin Kalusa and 2 blocked punts helped Larkin overcome East Aurora 38-20 in Aurora on Friday night.
Cooks rushed 15 times for 113 yards and 2 touchdowns, including a 65-yarder, Saurbaugh carried 16 times for 99 yards and 2 touchdowns and Kalusa returned a kick 91 yards for a score as Larkin evened its record at 2-2, 1-1 in the Upstate Eight Conference.
East Aurora (1-3, 1-1) drove 69 yards in 8 plays to take a 7-6 lead on quarterback Richard Jimenez's 1-yard run with 4:20 left in the first quarter.
But Larkin struck back immediately when Kalusa caught the kickoff at his own 9-yard line, ran up the left hash, cut right and beat the Tomcats kicker down the sideline put Larkin ahead 12-7 after the point after try failed.
"I thought I was going to get tackled when I went left, then I saw all my blockers on the right and I just went to that hole," Kalusa said.
The Tomcats answered with another long drive, however, marching 56 yards in 8 plays, capped by a 1-yard run by Michael Turner to take a 13-12 lead with 1:18 left in the first quarter. East Aurora rushed for 110 yards in the first half.
"They were smart with their scheme," Larkin coach Matt Gehrig said. "They had some guys on the offensive line split very wide on our defensive linemen, which made it hard for our linebackers to fill the gaps... We were lucky to get a momentum swing and capitalize."
That momentum swing for the Royals came in the form of 9-play, 60-yard touchdown drive before halftime. The key play was a 21-yard keeper by the quarterback, Saurbaugh, on fourth-and-2 at the East Aurora 23. The play big play set the Royals up at the 2, and Saurbaugh scored on a sneak on the next play to give Larkin an 18-13 lead at the break.
The Royals took control of the game early in the third quarter after Dom Welch sacked Jimenez for a 13-yard loss at the East Aurora 8-yard line. The ensuing punt gave the Royals great field position at the Tomcats' 36.
A 26-yard run by Saurbaugh gave the Royals a first down at the 6-yard line, and Cooks ran it up the gut for a score on the next play. A 2-point conversion pass from Saurbaugh to Anthony Barracks made it 28-13 Larkin with 6:33 left in the third quarter.
Rocky Camacho and Reid Ellis blocked East Aurora's next 2 punts. Ellis' diving block was recovered in the end zone for a touchdown by Dom Collins, which gave Larkin a 32-13 lead with 11:50 left in the game.
Larkin rushed 35 times for 207 yards in the game and limited East Aurora to 97 total yards in the second half.
"We got our ground game going in the second half and were able to hold them off and were fortunate to get a win tonight," Gehrig said. "They played a heck of a game."