Azuriah Sylvester is so valuable on defense that West Aurora picks his spots on offense.
Knowing that he will only get a handful of touches, the junior running back/defensive back tries to take advantage of those limited chances on the other side of the ball.
“I practiced it over the summer, but I really only play a few plays each game,” said Sylvester, who handled the starring role like one cool cat. “I’m glad I can help my team.”
He was as efficient as could be Friday night.
The 5-foot-9, 140-pound Sylvester scored on a 29-yard interception return and then unleashed an 83-yard touchdown run as the host Blackhawks blew out Romeoville 56-14.
Sylvester’s first touch for West Aurora (3-0), which plays in the Southwest Prairie West, came on interception. The two TDs occurred in a span of 3:39 in the second quarter.
That gave the Blackhawks a 21-0 lead and they never looked back vs. Romeoville (0-3), which now faces an uphill battle heading into Southwest Prairie East action.
Sylvester finished with 94 yards on only three carries. Michael Williams added 61 yards and a TD on seven carries. Nicholas Bynum-Neal had 74 yards and a TD in the second half.
With West Aurora already up 7-0, Sylvester jumped a route and sprinted in untouched.
“I saw the quarterback looking at that dude right there,” Sylvester said. “As soon as he threw it, we practice breaking and getting to the guy. That’s what I did, and I got the pick.”
After Romeoville went three-and-out, Sylvester burst free for the 83-yard TD run.
“All the linemen blocked well because the gap was wide open,” Sylvester said. “I just took off from there. I started getting happy and celebrating before I even got to the end zone.”
West Aurora coach Nate Eimer knows what Sylvester can bring to the team, so his performance was not a surprise.
“He’s a special, special player,” Eimer said. “Obviously, we have a lot of guys. Terrence Smith is a big-time recruit, big-time talent. Mike Williams is a big-time running back. Azuriah might be the best overall football player because he can really do it all.
“He played in the box and made some tackles. He picks a ball off and takes it to the house. Running back, he has that one where he’s like shot out of a cannon. And he’s a physical kid. He’s a phenomenal football player.”
On their first drive of the game, Williams had runs of 21 and 30 yards, the latter of which was a TD. He was one of eight players to carry the ball for the Blackhawks.
“Since we have such a deep running back room, it feels good for them to trust me enough to get the ball as much as I do,” Williams said. “Running backs set the tone.
“Our defense really started it, but the running backs set the tone.”
The Blackhawks dominated in all three phases. Smith caught TD passes of 28 and 30 yards. A blocked punt led to a 55-yard scoop-and-score TD to end the first half from Jaden Edwards, who also had an interception.
“We hurt people in all three phases, and that’s something we talk about,” Eimer said. “We have to turn people over. We have to have explosive plays on offense.
“Our special teams, with the amount of athletes we have, should be dominant.”
That formula has led to West Aurora’s first 3-0 start since 2018. The Blackhawks, who ran for 327 yards and four TDs on 37 carries, don’t want to stop there, though.
“I thought we were going to do really well,” Sylvester said. “We’re trying to go to 4-0 now.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.