Larkin 46, E. Aurora 13
Larkin running back Dillon Smith waited patiently the first three games while Royals quaterback Cam Kinley and company mounted impressive numbers.
Smith's wait ended on Friday at Memorial Field in Elgin, and the 5-foot-9 senior didn't disappoint.
Smith rushed for 217 yards on 18 carries, scoring 4 touchdowns to lead Larkin (2-2, 2-0) to a 46-13 Upstate Eight conference victory over visiting East Aurora (0-4, 0-2).
"Finally," said Smith who was hampered with a pulled quad for the first three games. "We knew we wanted to run the ball, and I felt my best tonight."
Larkin's high-octane offense scored on its first 7 possessions, cruising to a 46-0 halftime advantage.
A holding penalty and a sack had the Royals headed in the wrong direction its first two offensive plays of the game, but Kinley found Ryan Shriver (4 catches, 87 yards) for a 23-yard gain on the third play and 3 plays later they hooked up for a 21-yard score. Larkin never looked back.
The Royals gained 322 total yards in the first half while holding the Tomcats to 13 total yards.
East Aurora didn't help itself, committing 4 turnovers in the opening half against an opportunistic defense.
Kinley, who had thrown 14 touchdowns in the first three games, added his second of the night on Larkin's second possession, once again finding Shriver for an 18-yard score on fourth-and-18.
Smith then added touchdowns runs of 18, 2, 23 and 50 yards. David Schue added to the Royals attack with a 6-yard score.
"All the yards came from the offensive line," said Smith. "They set the blocks and there were big holes."
Eric Pena, Noah Cornelius, Andy Haggard, Eddie Slad, and Tyler Schubert cleared the way for a Royals rushing attacked that gained 235 yards in the first half.
"It always comes down to the kids," added Larkin head coach Dave Bierman of his team's offensive attack. "They executed what their assignments are, they have a feel for the game. It was nice to see (Smith's) performance. Like all of them he works hard."
MiQwon Holmes recovered a fumble on the opening kickoff of the second half and returned it 28 yards for the score for East Aurora.
Leon Harden contributed 76 hard-earned yards on 15 carries, scoring on a 2-yard run with 34 seconds remaining in the game for East Aurora.