Larkin hoping to keep Jug on west side
The Town Jug - the trophy awarded to the winner of the annual football game between Elgin and Larkin - hasn't taken up permanent residence in Larkin's west-side trophy case, though it might seem that way to today's Maroons and Royals.
The seniors on each team were fourth graders the last time Elgin secured the Town Jug in 2001. Larkin has won the last seven meetings between the cross-town rivals, 14 of the last 16 and holds a 30-17 overall advantage in the series, which began with a junior varsity contest in 1962.
"I used to come watch (Elgin running back) Kenny (Williams) when he played," said Elgin running back Jordan Dean, a junior. "I always thought he was the most amazing player. But we never won, so I used to go home disappointed."
As the Upstate Eight Conference rivals prepare for their 48th varsity meeting at Memorial Field on Saturday at 11:30 a.m., the Royals are focusing on keeping the Town Jug on the west side of the Fox River.
"I want that jug to say Larkin wins every year," Royals senior wide receiver/safety Reid Ellis said before practice Wednesday. "We have to do whatever we can to keep it that way."
Larkin's playoff hopes would get a shot in the arm with a victory against the Maroons. Though the Royals dropped their first two UEC contests to Lake Park and St. Charles North, Larkin's overall record of 3-2 has it in position to reach the postseason for the first time since 2006. The Royals will play their final 3 games at home against Streamwood (1-4), East Aurora (0-5) and South Elgin (4-1).
Elgin's playoff hopes are flickering. The Maroons (1-4) would be eliminated from postseason consideration with a loss Saturday, a longshot anyway with remaining games against Waubonsie Valley (3-2), Streamwood and surging Neuqua Valley (2-3).
"It's going to be kind of like a Super Bowl to them," Larkin linebacker/tight end Alex Wahl said. "It's the biggest game of the year for them, I think, and it's always a big game for us when we play Elgin. We can't look past them. They're going to come out hard after us, so we have to do the same thing to them. I can't wait."
Both teams boast top-notch running backs: Dean for Elgin and senior Jalen Williams for Larkin. Both are modest, fast, elusive runners, and each possesses game-breaking speed.
Williams is the area scoring leader with 60 points on 10 rushing touchdowns. In 5 games he has carried the ball 132 times for 841 yards (6.4 avg.) and has topped the 100-yard plateau on four occasions.
Dean is an all-purpose threat. He has rushed for 507 yards on 86 carries (5.9 avg.) and has accounted for 48 of Elgin's 64 points. Dean has 5 rushing touchdowns and has also scored on a punt return, a kickoff return and an interception return.
"He's a good athlete," Larkin coach Matt Gehrig said of Dean. "We have to make sure our guys don't lose the integrity of their gap responsibility on defense, especially since he does have good vision and is good at either bouncing outside or cutting back when he sees a nice hole."
Williams and Dean happen to be second cousins. They played together in sixth grade on the championship Elgin Youth Football Redskins lightweight team and remain tight. This week they've been texting each other back and forth at a clip that will make their respective cell phone carriers smile.
"Our running styles are the same," Dean said. "We've grown up together and we're real close. When we talk we don't talk bad about each other. We always congratulate each other. He keeps me moving throughout the season and I keep him moving. I love the dude, and I love to play against him."
In an attempt to gain more open area for Dean to roam, Elgin coach Dave Bierman has tabbed senior Ryan Parks as his starting quarterback for Saturday's game. Parks started the season opener, but junior Jake Meyer started in Week 2. The two split time last week against Lake Park.
"Jake's getting better, but Ryan is a little more consistent right now," Bierman said. "It could be because of his age. You might see Jake in there some, too. It's more of an option offense with Parks and you add in that run factor so, hopefully, that will be tougher to defend. If we can be more efficient passing the ball, that would solve a lot of our woes and help our run game tremendously."
Ending the 7-game losing streak to Larkin is weighing heavily on the minds of the Maroons this week.
"We have to bring the Jug back here," said Elgin lineman Hector Hernandez, whose brother Alex was a member of the last Elgin team to beat the Royals. "For seven years Larkin has been the best in the Elgin area, so bringing the Jug back is our main goal. The big thing is our line. We have to play to the whistle. In some of our other games we haven't been doing that and that's been affecting us. But we have to do that to get the Jug back."
The Royals, of course, have other plans.
"It's my last year and I hope to keep the Jug here," Larkin two-way lineman Cody Schue said. "We've had it all four years I've been here and I don't want to lose it. I think we're going to go in there intense, ready to hit people. We've got to stick it to them and play our game. It should be fun."