Aurora Takes Down Eureka, 49-7
AURORA, Ill. – Eureka met Aurora's top 10-ranked offense in the country on the road on Saturday and ended up falling 49-7 in Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference play.
The result snapped Aurora's three-game 70-point streak.
All told, though, it was a night in which the Red Devil highlights were few and far between.
The maroon and gold scored its lone touchdown of the game on a 21-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Lukas Tinkham (Abingdon, Ill./Abingdon-Avon) to freshman receiver Sebastian Hill (Pekin, Ill./Pekin) with 7:05 left in the game.
Hill finished with a team-high four receptions for 70 yards. His longest catch came on a tremendous play in the first quarter. On 2nd and 6 at the Aurora 46, Tinkham heaved one deep down the left side. At first glance, it looked like it might have been picked off, but Hill successfully ripped the ball away from the defender to complete a 40-yard reception.
Tinkham threw for 149 yards and a touchdown on 10-of-25 passing without making an interception. Senior Nehemiah Butler (Elmwood, Ill./Elmwood)) contributed 42 rushing yards on 19 carries in his second game at running back.
For Aurora, quarterback Gavin Zimbelman tallied five touchdowns while notching 261 yards on 16-of-26 passing. The most significant development of the night for the Spartans, however, was senior running back Tyran Bailey became the program's career rushing leader with 3,713 yards. He finished with 171 rushing yards on 17 carries and a pair of TDs.
Eureka sophomore linebacker Austin Hopkins (Arcola, Ill./Arcola) posted a team-high 10 total tackles for the Red Devil defense, including seven solo efforts and his first career sack. Fellow linebacker Brendan Durr (Washington, Ill./Washington) followed with nine and two tackles for loss., while Mason Diederich (Washington, Ill./Washington) and Colton Walsberg (Pontiac, Ill./Pontiac)) each had seven total tackles.
Next week, Eureka (2-5, 2-2 NACC) are on the road for another night game at Concordia Wisconsin at 6 p.m.