South Elgin came to East Aurora looking to even up its Upstate Eight Valley and season record on Friday, and accomplished that mission with an impressive 41-6 victory over the Tomcats.
The Storm’s senior running back Jeff Broger returned to form by rushing for three first-half touchdowns while gaining 87 yards on just six carries.
Broger, back after missing time with a leg injury, scored on runs of 2- and 23-yards in the first quarter as South Elgin (2-2, 1-1) built a 14-0 lead, and again on a 36-yard sprint early in the second.
“My line made some good blocks for me and I made some good cuts,” said Broger. “I cut back on one of those longer runs and Johnny Stanko, our wide receiver, made a good block.”
East Aurora, showing progress under first-year coach Kurt Becker, attempted three different times in the first quarter to convert on fourth and short yardage, but was successful only once.
“Maybe the kids learn in a situation like that if they get the first down, it means something. It builds confidence and courage — that’s why we did it,” said Becker.
South Elgin quarterback Robert Cuda found tight end Nathan Marotta with an 8-yard scoring strike to begin the second quarter, and hit running back Christopher Bingham for another touchdown from 21 yards away as the Storm led 34-0 at the break.
The Tomcats, who dropped their 34th game in a row, lost fumbles twice in their own territory, and each led to a score by the Storm.
“We’ve been missing him (Broger) since the first half of our opening game, so it was a big difference getting him back to balance our offense a little bit,” said South Elgin coach Dale Schabert.
Running back TeQuan Cager bolted up the middle and rocketed for a 74-yard touchdown to begin the second half as the Storm took a 41-0 lead.
East Aurora (0-4, 0-2) didn’t quit, and three plays later, quarterback David Fonseca hit wide receiver Desmond Gant down the left sideline, and Gant galloped 74 yards untouched for the score.
“I think spread is our best offense, and we started to exploit that,” said Gant. “I faked in and went back out, and the ball was right there in the perfect spot.”
Fonseca also led the Tomcats on a 68-yard drive which stalled at the Storm’s 10-yard line in the fourth quarter. Qahir Phillips caught two passes for 34 yards during the drive, and Jamaria Littleton added 28 yards on five carries (13 carries, 48 yards on the night).
SOUTH ELGIN 41, EAST AURORA 6
South Elgin – 14 20 7 0 - 41
East Aurora – 0 0 6 0 - 6 SE Broger 2 run (Bree kick) SE Broger 23 run (Bree kick) SE Marotta 8 pass from Cuda (Bree kick) SE Broger 36 run (kick failed) SE Bingham 21 pas from Cuda (Bree kick) SE Cager 74 run (Bree kick) EA Gant 73 pass from Fonseca (run failed)
Team statistics SE EA
First downs 19 7
Comp.-att-int. 8-12-0 7-14-1
Passing yards 102 127
Rushing-att-yds. 26-250 29-43
Total yards 352 170
Fumbles-lost 0-0 2-2
Penalties-yards 3-28 3-35
Individual statistics Rushing:
SE – Broger 6-87, Cuda 7-37, Cager 4-76, Rodriguez 6-29, McKay 2-22, Balaja 1-(-1)
EA – Littleton 13-48, Barrientos 1-1, Fonseca 10-(-9), Gant 1-(-2), Dieppa 1-4, Massey 3-1
Passing: SE – Cuda 7-11-0 96, Balaja 1-1-0 6 EA – Fonseca 6-12-0 128, Dieppa 1-2-1 (-1) Receiving:
SE – Stanko 1-6, Broger 1-25, Cruz 2-12, Marotta 1-8, Christensen 1-10, Cager 1-20, Bingham 1-21
EA – Gant 4-90, Barrientos 1-3, Phillips 2-34
