The Aurora Central Catholic Chargers jumped out to a quick 7-0 lead in the first quarter Friday night, and cruised to a 42-0 win over Wheaton Academy in the Suburban Christian Conference cross-over game at Bob Stewart Field on Senior Night. The win moves the Chargers record back to .500 at 4-4, and keeps them alive in the post-season hunt leading into next weekends game against Aurora Christian.
The Chargers wasted no time jumping on the Warriors in the first quarter. After the defense forced a three and out, the Charger offense drove 48 yards in 6 plays as Kyle Clechenko (St. Charles) capped the drive with a 1 yard run. After trading possessions to end the first quarter, Chargers hit the scoreboard again, this time Luke Dickerson (Sugar Grove) scored on a 24 yard run giving the Chargers a two score advantage.
Less than a minute later, the Charger defense got into the action, as Kyle Ritli (Aurora) intercepted Tommy Decker’s pass and raced 58 yards for a touchdown. The interception was the first time the Chargers scored a defensive touchdown since 2008, and gave the Chargers a 21-0 advantage. Ritli would add a second interception later in the contest.
Late in the second quarter, Brian Bohr (Aurora) scored from 1 yard out giving the Chargers a 28-0 halftime lead.
It only took three plays in the second half for the Chargers offense to put the game out of reach, as Steven Amoni (Yorkville) raced 58 yards for a touchdown extending the lead to 35-0. Amoni finished the evening with 113 yards on 10 carries.
Midway through the third quarter, the Chargers reached the running clock as Clechenko scored again, this time from 33 yards out. Clechenko led the Chargers ground attack with 119 yards on 16 attempts.
The shutout was the first of the season for the Charger defense, as they held Wheaton Academy to 87 total yards of offense. SCC Defensive Player of the Year candidate Nick Holzer (Yorkville) finished the game with 15 tackles including 2 tackles for a loss. Jake McCarthy (Aurora) filled up the stat sheet with 6 tackles (2 TFL’s), a sack and a pass defended. The Chargers forced two turnovers and held Wheaton Academy to a paltry 2 of 11 on 3rd Down, and never allowed the Warriors inside the Red Zone.
For the second week in a row, the offense dominated with the running attack. The Chargers gained 402 yards on 50 carries and 5 touchdowns. Included in those 50 carries were 12 explosive plays (runs of 12 yards or more), and an average of 8 yards per attempt.
Kicker Kevin Bond (Plano) was a perfect 6 for 6 on extra points.
After finishing the home regular-season schedule with a 4-1 mark, the Chargers must now travel down the road for a much anticipated week 9 contest. If the Chargers win, they will finish the season with a winning record for the first time in 14 years, and they will await their playoff fate, as the IHSA will unveil the 2011 playoff qualifiers and pairings on Saturday night. Kickoff at Aurora Christian is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. for the Sophomores, 7:00 p.m. for the Varsity.
