AURORA | It’s been awhile since the Aurora Central football team had seen three wins in a season, but the Trojans have that with plenty of room to spare in 2015.
With 17 straight points between the second and third quarters, Aurora Central rallied from a three-point halftime deficit to post a 24-14 win over visiting Sand Creek Friday at Aurora Public Schools Stadium to gain the program’s first three-win season since 2007.
Junior Fransisco Aranda rushed for a game-high 98 yards and scored the go-ahead touchdown in the third quarter for coach Travis Peeples’ Trojans, who also got rushing touchdowns from junior Jouan Kennedy and senior Taevon Jordan and a 43-yard field goal from junior Johnny Mendez in the victory.
In the first half, Sand Creek (0-3) — which downed Aurora Central 48-12 last season — scored first and limited the Trojans to just Mendez’s long kick.
Aranda scored from 28 yards out to put Aurora Central up 10-6 and Kennedy got into the end zone from 24 yards to build the lead to 11 points. Frankie Stowers scored on a 1-yard run and Jeffrey Crittendon rushed for the two-point conversion to pull the Scorpions within four points, but Jordan’s 4-yard score in the fourth quarter provided breathing room.
Aurora Central’s defense forced a turnover and held Sand Creek to just over 200 yards of total offense. The Trojans allowed 84 points to its first three opponents in 2014, but have yielded just 24 to the same three teams this season.
Since Aurora Central’s 7-3 season in 2007, the program has won a total of 10 games in the past seven seasons combined.
In the first season under Peeples, the Trojans already have three wins with seven games left in the regular season, starting with a 7 p.m. contest at Harrison — also 3-0 — on Sept. 25.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or [email protected] Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel
AURORA CENTRAL 24, SAND CREEK 14
Score by quarters:
Sand Creek 6 0 0 8 — 14
Aurora Central 0 3 14 7 — 24
SCORING
First quarter
Sand Creek — Drake Goodell 3 yard run (kick failed), 5:24
Second quarter
Aurora Central — Johnny Mendez 43 yard field goal, 6:14
Third quarter
Aurora Central — Fransisco Aranda 28 yard run (Mendez kick)
Aurora Central — Jouan Kennedy 24 yard run (Mendez kick)
Fourth quarter
Sand Creek — Frankie Stowers 1 yard run (Jeffrey Crittendon run), 8:01
Aurora Central — Taevon Jordan 4 yard run (Mendez kick), 4:36
RUSHING
Sand Creek: Drake Goodell 23-59, Jeffrey Crittendon 9-35, Frankie Stowers 3-16, Murdock 4-(minus 28)
Aurora Central: Fransisco Aranda 12-98, Taevon Jordan 9-51, Mike Retland 11-47, Jouan Kennedy 5-44, De’oveya Johnson 3-13, Jalil Grimes 1-(minus 20)
PASSING
Sand Creek: Murdock 8-16, 121 yards
Aurora Central: Grimes 1-4, 10 yards
RECEIVING
Sand Creek: Stevenson 4-74, English 1-25, Ledoux 1-11, Crittendon 2-11
Aurora Central: Johnson 1-10
