Lack of depth continues to haunt Larkin

Updated: October 17, 2011 9:32PM

A lack of talent usually isn’t the problem for Larkin.

In three of the past four seasons, the Royals boasted the Courier-News Player of the Year as Trevor Whitehead (2010), Jalen Williams (2009) and Cam Kinley (2007) all earned the distinction.

This year’s squad also has plenty of individual talent as senior Justin Banks leads the area in receiving, junior Alex Schabert ranks as one of the area’s top offensive linemen and senior Kyle Newquist is one of the most well-polished quarterbacks on the local scene.

But like its predecessors, Larkin’s 2011 team isn’t going to the playoffs, marking the fifth straight year the Royals won’t be making an appearance in the postseason. Once again, a lack of depth is to blame.

The Royals had only 25 players suit up for Friday’s loss against Streamwood. Injuries to Schabert, starting linebacker Drew Shore and others have taken a serious toll for Larkin, which simply doesn’t have the resources to paper over the absences.

“We’re down 13 or 14 guys from where we started, and that’s rough,” Scianna said. “And it’s not because of grades, which you might think. Most of it is injuries.”

Finding a scrappier team than the Royals isn’t easy, but a hard-nosed attitude hasn’t helped Scianna’s team avoid a 3-5 record going into its final regular season game against Geneva.

Even Larkin’s coaching staff is thin as Scianna took over play-calling duties for the offense for the first time in his two years at the helm for last week’s game. The change came after Scianna disagreed with the play calls made by offensive coordinator Bobby Bennett at the end of a Week 7 loss to St. Charles North. Bennett wasn’t spotted with the team against Streamwood, and Scianna declined to comment on the matter.

Although the Royals will ultimately fall short of their goals this season, all hope isn’t lost. A handful of sophomores have been thrown in the mix this year, and better days could be ahead if Larkin’s underclassmen continue their commitment to the program.

“I feel really bad for the seniors,” Scianna said. “I’ve been with them for four years and I’m really proud of what they’ve done.

“They’ve set the tone for the rest of the groups to come after them. The future looks bright, and it’s because of them.”

Rockets seeking comforts of home

Burlington Central clinched its first trip to the playoffs since 2007 last week, but don’t think the Rockets have nothing to play for in their regular season finale Friday at Marengo.

With a 6-2 record, Burlington Central can give itself a chance of being awarded a home game in the first round of the playoffs by beating the Indians. The last time the Rockets hosted a postseason game was 2006, and that team advanced all the way to the state quarterfinals.

“We want to finish out the season strong and get our record to 7-2 because another one of our goals was to get a home playoff game,” Burlington Central coach Rich Crabel said. “When you’re 7-2 you’re kind of on that bubble of getting a home game, so we’re going to strive really hard to get there and hope for the best.”

Whip-Purs getting tougher

Hampshire’s first season as a member of the Fox Valley Conference comes to a close this Friday at Crystal Lake Central, and the Whip-Purs are steadily becoming more comfortable in their surroundings.

Signs of that were evident last week when Hampshire (1-7) jumped out to an early lead on playoff-bound Woodstock North and remained in a 6-all tie until late in the second quarter. The Whips ended up losing 34-12, but it was another step in the right direction for a squad that was coming off a one-point win against Johnsburg in Week 6 and a one-point loss against Woodstock in Week 7.

“I think we’ve improved in a lot of areas,” Hampshire coach Dan Cavanaugh said. “The Fox Valley Conference is a very physical conference, and we definitely feel like we’ve become more physical as the year has gone on.”

Getting a taste of the postseason

In the wake of Streamwood reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2002, 13 of the area’s 14 teams can say they’ve earned a trip to the postseason since 2006.

The outlier in the group is Dundee-Crown, which will miss the playoffs for the 17th straight year. The Chargers have lost 25 consecutive games dating to 2009, and they need to beat rival Jacobs this week to avoid their second straight winless season.

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