This Elgin-Larkin game truly what good rivalries are all about

Now this is what Elgin-Larkin football is all about.

Not a soul at Memorial Field who braved what started out as a nice day but quickly gave way to "football weather" could argue that Saturday's 48th varsity meeting between Elgin and Larkin was anything less than spectacular.

Are either of these teams going to win the Upstate Eight Conference championship and go deep into the playoffs? No, probably not. But you wouldn't have been able to figure that out if you were driving down East Chicago Street and decided to turn in to watch the game.

There's was something about this year's game that the last several have lacked. And that's not a knock on any of the kids or coaches who were previous participants in the crosstown rivalry matchup. But there was something more electric about this game.

Over the last seven years, Larkin has dominated the series, the closest of those games being Larkin's 9-6 win in 2003. The other six, the Royals won by an average of 22 points per game.

So in terms of excitement, Elgin's 28-21 come-from-behind win Saturday ranks way up there on the list of best Elgin-Larkin games.

Was this the best? Probably not, but it sure was one that didn't lack for its moments of chills and spills on both sides of the field. It was also one that kept you interested until the final horn, er, I mean official's whistle as the Memorial Field clock went out on the Elgin-Larkin game for at least the second time in the last three years.

This one will also rank up there on the memory list in years to come because it saw a more determined Elgin football team than we've seen in a while, a Maroons squad that had no intention of giving in, even when Larkin had come back to take a 21-20 lead early in the fourth quarter.

Actually, that's when the Maroons really dug in. And one of the biggest plays of the day came from senior Hector Hernandez, who stuffed Larkin standout Jalen Williams on a third-and-short, forcing Larkin to attempt a field goal that was blocked by junior Dan Muenzer and run back 80 yards by senior Jordan Dean for the game-winning touchdown.

It's been a long time since Elgin High football fans had something to be excited about this late in an Elgin-Larkin game.

"I was in fourth grade the last time Elgin won this game," said Hernandez, whose brother was a senior at Elgin when the Maroons beat the Royals 28-7 in 2001. "This feels good and it feels better knowing it's my last year. I'm leaving with a win that will always be with me."

Hernandez knew what his job was on the crucial third down play.

"I just said 'I have to stop this guy, because we can't lose this game. We can't lose to Larkin anymore," ' he said. "This was our Super Bowl and I'm glad we won it. It's the first time we've played four quarters and when you fight to the end you are going to get positive results."

Dean, who scored twice in the game, agreed.

"When you play Larkin you gotta suck it up and play all 48," he said. "We know we need to win the rest of our games (to make the playoffs) and we weren't feeling too good about our record. We needed a jump-start and we got it today."

The whole town should feel like it got a jump start on Saturday. I've been to several Elgin-Larkin games where you could feel a lot of negative tension in the air. We had the years with the race concerns, then we had the years with the unwelcome gangbangers showing up.

But what we got Saturday is as pure as it gets. It was highlighted by good sportsmanship and respect. It was just plain cool to see the majority of Elgin's players go to the Larkin sideline after the game and shake hands with Royals' senior Reid Ellis, who was injured early in the first quarter and didn't return. It was heartwarming to see Elgin's Dean and Larkin's Williams, who are cousins, embrace and congratulate each other well after the game was over, but while the fans who were still in Elgin's stands were able to clap and acknowledge it.

It was also very cool to hear the Elgin fans start chanting "We want the Jug, we want the Jug", with 17 seconds left in the game and Elgin in possession of the football. No disrespect to Larkin, but the series was sorely in need of an Elgin win to bring some balance back, and to keep that competitive fire going in years to come.

"It's a great win for Elgin High School and it was a great Elgin-Larkin game," said Elgin coach Dave Bierman, who has played and coached in enough of them to know, and who has now won four of the last five Jug games, three of them at Larkin. "Both teams played hard and that's what you expect from this game."

Now Elgin gets to place the Jug in its trophy case, a place it hasn't been in a while. And you can bet everyone from the junior class on down at Larkin will start thinking right now about a way to get it back in 2010.

Elgin and Larkin need more of this. High school sports needs more of this.

Glad I was there, and I can't wait until next year.

jradtke@dailyherald.com