Mueller, South Elgin have another busy night, win sixth straight game
Five touchdowns would be a pretty good month for a lot of backs. How about in a half?
Gavin Mueller scored five times before halftime, then added a sixth TD on the first possession of the second half as South Elgin routed Elgin 64-21 in South Elgin.
With its sixth straight win, the Storm (6-2, 5-0) clinched at least a share of the Upstate Eight Conference West Division title.
Mueller scored on runs of 11, 4, 17, 60, 2 and 8 yards. At one point he scored on four consecutive rushes. He finished with 133 yards on just 11 carries. The big night gave him 10 touchdowns in the last two weeks after he scored four against Bartlett.
Darrion Thurman added 87 yards and a pair of scores for South Elgin.
“I think it’s a school record, so that was kind of the goal we set after I started scoring a lot,” Mueller said. “It’s all thanks to God and the line and the receivers for helping me out, and the quarterbacks, obviously.”
The offensive line opened some huge holes for both backs, none more so than on Mueller’s 60-yarder, when he rumbled untouched straight up the middle of the field.
“They just love playing for each other and playing for the guys behind them,” he said. “They go out of their way, so if they miss an assignment, they go hit someone else as hard as they can. That’s how sometimes a messed up play will turn into a touchdown because our line loves to play for each other.”
Elgin scored on three big plays, beginning with an 85-yard pass play from Jacob Rufino to La’Marin Powell. Powell caught a short pass over the middle and outraced the Storm defense to the end zone. That play briefly tied the game at 7-7, but the Storm answered with 28 unanswered.
After Mueller’s third TD made it 35-7, Ja'Miere Moore returned the ensuing kickoff 60 yards for a TD of his own. He ran all the way across the field, then turned up the sideline and outran the coverage.
Powell scored Elgin’s final TD on a 31-yard run that saw him reverse field at least twice.
Things started well for South Elgin. The Maroons’ first possession ended with a blocked punt that Dane Henson returned for a touchdown.
Mueller lines up at quarterback frequently, allowing him to hit the hole quickly.
“Our offensive line did an amazing job,” said South Elgin coach Pat Pistorio. “It really paved the way for Gavin here, obviously. In the red zone when we had the opportunity to do a quarterback run, it creates a lot of mismatches and problems.”