Geneva 37, Sycamore 14
The Geneva Vikings rode the momentum of one key defensive play Friday night to roll past the host Sycamore Spartans 37-14 to stay undefeated atop the Western Sun Conference.
When defensive end Matt Caliendo stripped the ball from Sycamore quarterback Nick Anderson and recovered
the ball early in the second quarter of a 7-7 game, Geneva struck quickly behind running back Michael Ratay and never looked back.
There was nothing fancy about the Vikings' touchdowns on this night as Ratay, who had 177 yards in 26 carries, scored on three 1-yard runs and quarterback Michael Mayszak also snuck over from a yard out in the fourth quarter.
But Caliendo's defensive gem stopped Sycamore (1-2,
2-3) in its tracks after the Spartans had taken a 7-0 lead in the first quarter after an impressive 80-yard drive capped off by Anderson's 5-yard touchdown run.
Geneva answered that score with an 80-yard drive of
its own, capped by the first of Ratay's 1-yard scoring bursts.
But the Spartans were on the move again when Caliendo changed everything by rushing in from his left defensive end position and pounding the ball out of Anderson's hand.
"I came around the end, and I saw his arm out there, so I thought I'd take a shot at it," Caliendo said of his game-changing play. "We knew we needed a defensive stand to help out our offense."
Geneva's offense appreciated that kind of support and after Ratay raced 49 yards to set up his second 1-yard scoring plunge, the Vikings took a 21-7 halftime lead on a nifty 26-yard reception by Michael Faught midway through the second quarter.
Even a half-hour rain delay couldn't slow down the Vikings in the second half as Trevor Hyslop notched a safety and Ratay and Mayszak notched the final 1-yard scores of the night.
Sycamore got a late touchdown from Corey Bex on a 3-yard run, but overall the Spartans' offense was unable to do much of anything against Geneva (3-0, 5-0).
Sycamore had only 152 yards of total offense, with Anderson passing for only 46 yards.
"Our defense has been pretty solid," Geneva coach Rob Wicinski said. "They scored first and I was really pleased with how we responded with our next offensive series."
Wicinski said Ratay has been "getting his legs underneath him," and improving every week. The our offensive line is, "coming around," he added.
Sycamore coach Joe Ryan said that the turnover created by Caliendo "turned the game" in Geneva's favor.
"You can't let one play like that turn the game, but the kid came off the edge and took it right out of Nick's hands," Ryan said. "On the first drive, we did what we had planned to do, but Geneva is a good team and they stepped up.
"With those big defensive ends in your face, Nick didn't have a good window for throwing."