If few noticed Oak Forest after it won its first four games, maybe the Bengals’ 12-8 victory at perennial SICA Orange power Richards on Friday night will turn some heads.
Quarterback Don Larkin ran the option flawlessly and scored both Oak Forest touchdowns on keepers, while the Bengals’ defense made three fourth-quarter stands deep in its own territory to hold off the Bulldogs (2-3, 1-2).
Oak Forest’s Rich Johnson recovered a Sean Lewis option pitch from the Bengals’ 42-yard line with 35 seconds left in the game to seal the win after Larkin had run out of the end zone from punt formation for a safety two plays earlier to trim Oak Forest’s lead to 12-8.
“I don’t like playing in the mud, but we had to fight through it,” said Larkin, who gained 133 yards on 20 carries. “I had some great blocks on the touchdown runs and was able to take them all the way.”
Larkin’s 30-yard scoring romp with 1:36 left in the first quarter opened the scoring, and his 33-yard scramble with 4:57 left in the second gave Oak Forest (5-0, 3-0) a 12-6 halftime lead.
Richards running back Dion Foster (21 carries for 132 yards) scored on a 1-yard plunge for the Bulldogs’ only TD.
