No pause button on this guy

A football player knows he's on a hot streak when his real-life statistics make his video-game statistics pale by comparison.

"When I play Madden I don't do nearly as good as what I'm doing on the field," said Larkin quarterback Cam Kinley. "It's pretty ridiculous to be putting up these numbers."

How ridiculous exactly?

Through four games this season in coach Dave Bierman's spread offense, Kinley has completed 65-of-107 passing attempts (60.7 percent) for 1,189 yards and 16 touchdowns with 5 interceptions.

The senior's totals were actually more eye-popping through three weeks, when he had already amassed 1,101 yards and 14 touchdowns. His statistics could have been more astronomical had the Royals not opted for a ground-based attack last week in an easy victory over winless East Aurora.

Through four games Kinley has already surpassed his total for touchdowns passes in 2006, when he threw for 15 scores in 10 games. He's already approaching last season's total for passing yards (1,474).

In a memorable 75-58 loss to Jacobs in Week 2, Kinley threw for Larkin single-game records of 457 yards and 7 touchdowns. Those records were previously held by Matt Schabert, who threw for 340 yards against Hinsdale Central in 1998 and connected on 5 touchdown passes in a 1998 playoff game against Jacobs.

Schabert went on to play at Wisconsin and Eastern Illinois. Can Kinley follow suit?

"I think he has the ability to be a Division-I quarterback," said Bartlett coach Tom Meaney.

Meaney has reason to be impressed. Bartlett lost to Larkin in 1998, the Hawks' first season of varsity football, but had won every subsequent meeting until last year. In that game Kinley rallied the Royals to victory with 2 clutch, fourth-quarter touchdown passes to earn a 1-point win.

Kinley proved that victory was no fluke two weeks ago when he and the Royals made it two straight over Bartlett with a 42-35 triumph. Larkin's signal-caller completed 22-of-34 passes for 387 yards and 4 touchdowns in that game against a Bartlett defense that would shut out Lake Park one week later.

Bierman agrees Kinley could play big-time college football.

"He's a legit 6-4 and a lot of people run this offense. He'd be a natural fit for someone that runs the spread," Bierman said. "He's a tough kid, too. He throws a good ball, but he can also tuck it and run.

"We're sending some DVDs out now to spark some interest. Numbers-wise, he stands out, so you hope people will say, 'Lets' take a look at this guy.' "

Kinley isn't picky. He said he'd love to continue playing football in college at any level.

"I'll go anywhere I can go," he said. "It doesn't have to be Division-I. Anywhere I can keep playing football is good for me.

"Or basketball. I like basketball, too. Whatever opportunity comes up first."

Like the majority of his teammates, Kinley is a multi-sport athlete. He is Larkin's leading returning scorer on the basketball court (7.8 points per game in 26 games) and became a staple in coach Doug Ellett's varsity baseball lineup last spring.

In that regard Kinley has plenty in common with his receivers: seniors Nick Bee, Ryan Shriver and Jake Kane. Bee and Shriver also play basketball and baseball. Kane is their teammate on the baseball diamond.

All three receivers are fast, football savvy and have great hands -- though Kane, the inside slot receiver, has the best hands of them all, according to Bee.

Bee is a burner and the most experienced of the group. Clocked at 4.47 in the 40-yard dash this season, he is the area leader through four games in receptions (21), yardage (458) and touchdowns (6).

Bee benefited from practicing last season with and against all-area receiver Bryan Whitehead, who caught all 15 of Kinley's touchdown passes in 2006. For Bee, playing in the spread offense with equally dangerous receivers is a dream come true.

"I think we might be the fastest trio in the (Upstate Eight) conference," said the 5-foot-10 Bee, who has already surpassed his 2006 totals of 20 receptions for 265 yards and 2 touchdowns in less than half the number of games.

"I guess we'll find out when we face teams like Neuqua Valley, Elgin and Waubonsie Valley."

Shriver and Kane both possess 4.7 speed.

Shriver (5-10) wasn't counted on for his offense last year but has stepped up this season to catch 16 balls for 243 yards and 3 touchdowns. He notched all 3 of his scoring receptions in that Week 2 shootout with Jacobs.

In that game Kinley put a ball right in Shriver's hands on a dead sprint for a 50-yard touchdown. The receiver never broke stride. It was the ultimate display of a passing offense in synch.

"I just think we really connect on the field," Shriver said. "It's just fun to catch the ball. That's all I really want to do. And when you've got a quarterback who can throw the ball and can hit you when you're open like Cam, it makes it easy for you."

Kane (6-1) is a possession receiver, one with 16 catches, 287 yards and 4 touchdowns to his credit. He and Kinley are neighbors and constantly play catch near their homes, which has helped their timing and rhythm.

"We're firing on all cylinders," Kane said of the offense. "Cam gives you a tight spiral coming right in on you. It's a nice ball. He puts it right there for you every time."

The Royals enjoy playing in the spread -- which they call "cat" -- not only because the offense is wide open but because of its interactive nature. Bierman not only encourages input from his receivers, he expects it.

"They'll come to the sidelines and say, 'Hey, my guy's playing way over the top. Let's throw some short stuff,' or 'I think I can get him deep because he's playing me tight,' " Bierman said. "I always tell them if (the play) works, it was your idea. If it didn't, I called it. You've got enough pressure playing the game. You don't need to worry about whether the play will work.

"But if they believe a play will work, it might work because they have some ownership in it."

For now, Kinley is happy his team owns a .500 record and has a chance to make the playoffs for a second straight season after a demoralizing 0-2 start. The Larkin defense, which was completely overhauled after surrendering 141 points in the season's first two weeks, has stabilized to a degree.

But even if the defense unravels, Kinley and the Larkin offense -- averaging 43.8 points per game -- still give the Royals a chance to win.

"We don't need to stop teams," Bee pointed out. "We just need to slow them down."

That could be bad news for opposing defensive coordinators in the Upstate Eight. Unlike the Madden video game, Cam Kinley and the Larkin offense don't come with a pause button.