West Aurora’s win over East Aurora fits to a ‘T’

This is what West Aurora coach Nate Eimer and his staff had in mind last offseason when the Blackhawks switched their offense to the wing-T.

That T could have stood for terrific Friday night as the Blackhawks piled up 470 rushing yards on the way to a 62-14 Upstate Eight Valley rout of winless East Aurora.

It’s the most points scored by either team in the history of the state’s longest football rivalry.

“We’ve struggled quite a bit with our offense at West in recent years,” Eimer said. “We figured it’s a lot easier to hand the ball to a kid than throw it. We’ve had some ups and downs, but we’re getting it and starting to understand this offense.”

The Blackhawks (3-5, 3-3) got 141 yards rushing from junior running back Drake Spears, 118 from sophomore DaQuan Cross and 91 from senior T.J. Jackson. Johnathon Doyle completed one of the two passes he threw for 13 yards, giving West a total of 483.

West’s 14th straight win gives the Blackhawks a 62-48-12 lead in the 122-game series.

“The blocking and the coach’s calls (were key),” Spears said. “The holes were wide open. I give all credit to the O-line and wide receivers’ blocking.”

Seniors Hayden Sak, Karl Fowler, Steve Castellanos and Hunter Siler and junior Sam Deisher make up that line for the Blackhawks.

Cross set the tone on the opening kick, blasting up the middle of the field 87 yards for a score just 15 seconds in. After an East three-and-out, DaQuan’s twin DaVion took the punt back 31 yards, setting up Jackson’s 26-yard TD on the next play.

“We made mistakes and we’ve gotta realize every play is a special play and when you break down on special teams, it’s gonna haunt you,” East coach Kurt Becker said.

The only thing holding West back in the first half were 12 penalties adding up to 135 yards.

“I will say that’s the most holding penalties we’ve had,” Eimer said. “That was a little bit tough to deal with. But the kids bounced back.”

DaQuan Cross had a 67-yard TD and Jackson a 21-yard TD called back on the same first-quarter drive. The Blackhawks had only five yards in penalties the second half.

“We adjusted,” Eimer said.

So did East, opening up the passing game in the falling mist after struggling to move the ball in the first quarter.

Two West pass interference penalties aided a second-quarter scoring drive capped by Nate Booker’s 5-yard TD run.

Quarterback Michael Gonnzalez completed 11 of 28 passes for 137 yards and one TD, an 8-yarder to Maurice Nichols, but was intercepted twice (James Roggeman and Spears). East finished with 297 yards.

“We’ve struggled at that position,” Becker said of quarterback. “Michael started the year on defense but was pressed into duty due to injuries and he’s done a pretty good job.”

Spears had scoring runs of 52 and 24 yards, DaVion Cross one for 19, Doyle one of 2 yards, Chandler Behrens one of 14 and Dominic King one of 7 yards.