If senior running back Chevelle Clements isn’t on, Larkin coach Grant Dietz knows that junior running back Jalen Miller will pick up the slack that night. And vice versa.
In the annual crosstown rivalry game against Elgin, it was Miller’s time to shine.
And that was just fine with Clements.
“I’m never jealous of my brother,” he said. “If I’m not eating, I know he’s going to eat.”
Miller feasted Friday night, scoring touchdowns of 14 and 80 yards and forcing a fumble on Elgin’s final offensive play to ice the Royals’ 18-0 Upstate Eight Conference victory.
Larkin (5-3, 5-3) retained the Town Jug and also became playoff eligible for the second straight season.
“It felt great for us to come out and win, especially the Jug game,” Miller said. “It’s very big in Elgin.”
Although Miller is only a junior, he’s emerged as a team captain and one of the catalysts for the Royals.
“He’s a heck of a team leader,” Dietz said. “On the practice field, he has the intangibles that we look for. He works hard in the weight room.
“We expect bigger things out of him moving forward and even preparing for next year.”
Larkin turned the ball over three times in the first half against Elgin (3-5, 3-5), but still held a 6-0 lead thanks to Miller. His 14-yard TD run in the second quarter was the difference.
“It was a good run for me,” Miller said. “The offensive line did their part. We’ve been working all week to execute this game plan.”
Larkin turned the ball over again to start the third quarter, but the defense forced the Maroons into a three-and-out.
On the ensuing drive, the Royals extended the lead to 12-0 as Tizairian Johnson-Williams hit Erick Myrick for a 6-yard TD pass on fourth-and-goal with 3:31 left in the quarter.
Early in the fourth, the Royals forced an Elgin punt. Myrick took the ball 95 yards for an apparent TD, only for it to be called back due to a penalty.
Two plays later, however, Miller broke free on an 80-yard TD run to put the game away.
“I was,” Miller said of being stopped. “I ran to the right side and it didn’t work. Great blocks on the left side and I found my way, saw daylight.
“I fed off the punt return. It was called back, but I fed off my brother’s energy and I took it to the house.”
Clements didn’t find the end zone Friday, but that didn’t bother him.
“That long touchdown, I knew I had to execute a block for him,” Clements said of Miller. “I saw daylight, so I had to execute that block and he was going to take it to the house, and he did.”
Elgin tried to score on its final drive, even with the outcome all but decided, but Miller helped preserve the shutout. He forced a fumble that was recovered by Damani Cannon.
“It felt great to see them score zero points,” Miller said.
Despite forcing four turnovers, the Maroons could not score and saw their hopes of making the playoffs dashed.
“We couldn’t finish,” Elgin coach Anthony Mason said. “It’s been a struggle for us all season — finishing. Our defense made great plays. We just couldn’t finish offensively and some plays on defense as well.”
Larkin, meanwhile, has a chance to win six games for the first time since 2002. The Royals end the regular season next week against West Chicago (1-7, 1-7).
“We’re one game better than last year with a bigger squad,” Dietz said. “Things are looking up.
“If we can get one game better each year, that’s a huge step in the right direction coming from where we were.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
