Roberts, Eagles soar to victory
SAVANNA -- Taking the field at West Carroll with the Mighty Mississippi just a mile to his west, Aurora Christian quarterback Jordan Roberts decided to show off his mighty right arm.
As impressive as Roberts was throwing the ball -- 14-of-18 passing for 223 yards and 3 touchdowns, he was nearly as good running it, scoring 3 more touchdowns and rushing for 106 yards.
Roberts led Aurora Christian up and down the field all night. The Eagles' first-team offense scored touchdowns on seven of their eight possessions in a convincing 59-18 win over West Carroll in the second round of the Class 3A playoffs.
Aurora Christian (11-0) will host Amboy (9-2) this weekend in the Class 3A quarterfinals.
Eagles coach Don Beebe has seen so many similar games from Roberts in the last three years as Aurora Christian quarterback that the coach was surprised when informed about Roberts' statistics.
"I've got to be honest with you, I didn't even realize he had 6 touchdowns," Beebe said. "He's that good. I thought he just had an average day. I think that's the sign of a great player. It's kind of like Michael Jordan when he scores his 50, you are like, 'He did? I thought he scored 20.'
"He's just a stud. We knew he was going to go down as one of the better ones in the history of the state. He really ran that offensive tonight."
West Carroll stayed with Aurora Christian for most of the first half, matching the first 3 touchdowns with scores of its own. The Thunder still trailed 22-18 because it missed all of its conversions, then fell behind 28-18 at halftime on Roberts' 8-yard touchdown scamper.
That was as close as West Carroll (6-5) would get. Aurora Christian scored the final 37 points, including a 31-0 margin in the second half. In addition to the offensive fireworks, Matt Morse returned an interception 27 yards for a score, and Jake Van Gilse booted a 20-yard field goal.
The Eagles even had 2 touchdowns called back by penalties, then scored again on both drives.
"In the first half we knew we could play a lot better, especially defensively," said Aurora Christian's versatile John Smith, who had a TD reception, TD run and an interception. "At halftime our seniors really stepped it up."
Roberts credited his teammates, especially his offensive linemen.
"Our line was awesome," Roberts said. "They were manhandling them all night."
The Eagles finished with 529 yards of offense, including 306 on the ground on 28 attempts. West Carroll quarterback Chris Anderson threw for 2 touchdowns and ran for another but the Thunder couldn't keep up with the Eagles' frantic scoring pace.
"We weren't really able to stop them," Anderson said. "They are really athletic. They have four or five different guys who can beat you. They are a complete team, especially offensively."
It was still a memorable night for the Thunder, playing its first home playoff game in 20 years.
"I thought our kids hung in there," Thunder coach Brandon Farrell said. "The kids were as excited as could be. But there wasn't much we were going to do to stay with them for four quarters. We gave it our best effort in the first half."