When Darrion Thurman finished his basketball season at South Elgin, Wheaton St. Francis transfer Gavin Mueller finally got the full Thurman experience during offseason workouts.

“When he got there, the whole atmosphere shifted,” Mueller said of Thurman. “Everyone just loves being around him. But when he’s on the field, he just doesn’t go down.”

From the funniest kid off the field to a menace on it, Thurman was already poised for a big season. The senior running back saved his best for Friday, one of the Storm’s biggest games of the year.

Thurman finished with 205 yards on 23 carries — including touchdown runs of 60 and 24 yards — as South Elgin prevailed for a wild 42-35 Upstate Eight West victory at West Aurora.

The win avenged a 50-7 loss last fall to the Blackhawks, a fact Thurm

See Full Page