Four second-half turnovers pave way for Larkin in 35-14 win over Streamwood
Sometimes time of possession is overrated.
Streamwood executed some clock-killing drives, but Larkin's quick strikes were enough to secure the Royals' first win of the young season.
Tizarian Johnson-Williams threw 2 touchdown passes to Erick Myrick and ran for a score, and Jalen Miller scored twice for Larkin in the Upstate Eight matchup at Millennium Field.
Larkin's defense forced 4 second-half turnovers as they Royals overcame a slow start by scoring 28 unanswered points in a 35-14 win.
"We can't sit back and wait," said Larkin coach Vincent Ray. "We have to fire off and go. And they caught fire and they decided to be the hammer that they're supposed to be. It's just getting into attack mode and it took the awhile to get into attack mode."
The teams were tied 14-14 at halftime when the Royals scored twice in a 30-second span to take control.
Streamwood tried an onside kick to open the second half but it didn't go the required 10 yards so Larkin took over in plus territory. Johnson-Williams completed 2 passes to Myrick to cover the distance, the second from 30 yards away.
The Sabres fumbled the ensuing kickoff. Despite an unsportsmanlike penalty, the Royals again took over in Streamwood territory. This time, they needed just a play to score, with Miller taking it in from 49 yards out.
"We had the energy coming out in the second half," Johnson-Williams said. "Coach told us what we need to do and we executed the game plan. People just came to play."
Myrick caught another scoring pass in the fourth quarter following Damani Cannon's interception.
Larkin also recovered 3 Streamwood fumbles.
Johnson-Williams finished an efficient 7-for-11 for 103 yards. Miller ran for 110 yards on just 7 carries.
Streamwood took the opening kickoff right down the field, with Juan Cortes taking it in from 8 yards out. When the Royals answered with Miller's first score, a 12-yard run, the Sabres came right back. Taro Ishikawa capped a 12-play drive with a 10-yard scoring run to put the Sabres back on top. But it proved to be their last lead of the night.
The Sabres piled up more than 230 yards on the ground but didn't complete a single pass. Cortes led with 89 yards with Aden Strong right behind with an 88-yard performance.
"It's not that we can't score and it's not that we can't move the ball," said Streamwood coach Keith McMaster. "But you can't beat yourself like we did: dumb penalties, dumb mistakes. We've got some young kids out there."