Streamwood is playoff bound
There was no doubt who would get the ball with Streamwood's playoff fate hanging precariously in the balance.
In desperate need of a sixth win to secure a postseason berth, the Sabres turned to running back Alex Morrow after Larkin had taken a 5-point fourth-quarter lead at Millennium Field Friday.
The Fox Valley area's leading rusher delivered. Morrow responded to Larkin's go-ahead touchdown by carrying the ball 7 times for 80 yards to the 1-yard line. Sabres quarterback Dalton Lundeen subsequently scored on a 1-yard sneak with 7:22 remaining to put Streamwood back in front to stay.
Morrow scored again with 4:11 to play to lift the Sabres to a 22-12 victory in an Upstate Eight Conference River Division contest.
The victory was the sixth in eight outings for Streamwood (6-2, 3-2), which guaranteed itself a playoff appearance for the first time since 2002.
"This is what we've been working for," said an elated Morrow. "We just want to keep it going now."
Morrow was a workhorse. The 5-foot-10, 195-pound uncommitted senior carried the ball 35 times for 228 yards and scored twice, upping his season total to 1,190 yards and 17 touchdowns.
"Somebody said I called a good game. I said, 'No, I just called Alex,'" laughed Sabres coach Cal Cummins. "The kid's phenomenal. We blocked well up front in that second half. We finally pulled it all together and played a lot better football there in the second half, I thought."
The loss eliminated Larkin (3-5, 2-3) from playoff contention. The gutty Royals were able to take a fourth-quarter lead. However, Larkin, with a roster of available players thinned to 25 due to injuries to 14 players, was unable to maintain a fourth-quarter lead for the second straight week.
"In the fourth quarter we get a little momentum and then I don't know what happens but we just run out of steam," Larkin coach Mike Scianna said.
Streamwood led 7-0 at halftime, but Larkin scored the next 2 touchdowns. David Perez broke free up the middle for a 52-yard touchdown early in the third quarter, though Streamwood maintained a 7-6 lead when the extra point sailed wide.
Larkin struck again early in the fourth quarter after Justin Banks intercepted Lundeen at the Royals' 15-yard line. Larkin used 16 plays to march 85 yards.
Facing fourth-and-6 at the Streamwood 19 yard line, quarterback Kyle Newquist stepped up in the pocket and threw to a wide-open Banks along the left sideline for a 19-yard touchdown. The conversion run failed, leaving the Royals with a 12-7 lead with 10:29 left.
That's when Streamwood turned to Morrow, who picked up those 80 yards on the ensuing drive in just over three minutes.
"I was just in the zone, running as hard as I could to get whatever yards I could get," Morrow said.
Lundeen spotted Blake Holder open in the end zone for a 2-point conversion pas for a 15-12 lead with 6:25 to play. Holder would figure prominently down the stretch. The two-way player picked off two tipped Larkin passes in the final quarter.
"I just happy to be in the right place at the right time," Holder said.
Holder returned the first interception 10 yards to the Larkin 32-yard line and the Sabres cashed in 6 plays later. Morrow who else? was stopped at the 1-yard line, but he made a spin to his right and powered his way into the end zone for a 21-12 lead. Senior Nick McGuiggan's extra point provided the final margin.
"I feel really bad for our seniors," Scianna said of being eliminated from the postseason. "I've been with them for four years and I'm really proud of what they've done. I told them they've set the tone for the rest of the groups. The sophomores behind them look really strong. The future looks bright and it's because of those guys."