Vikings-Saints matchup is here

You hear coaches say it all the time: "We are just trying to play one game at a time."

But sometimes, coaches, players, parents, and yes, even writers can't help but look ahead.

In this particular case, the playoff matchup on everyone's mind in the Tri-Cities Area involves two very good teams in Class 7A -- Geneva and St. Charles East.

In the second round.

The only thing each team had to do to make this possible was beat its opponent in the first round.

Geneva and St. Charles East didn't disappoint.

Geneva improved to 10-0 after topping Bradley-Bourbonnais 35-6. St. Charles East (8-2) defeated Granite City, 31-6 -- with both outings played in muddy, rainy and chilly conditions.

Looking too far ahead is a thing of the past. This awesome matchup between the No. 4-seeded Saints and top-seeded Vikings will probably take place Friday night in Geneva.

"Oh, how fun," Geneva coach Rob Wicinski said. "I'm just so excited for the kids. What a blast. Just when you think it can't go any further, another thing pops up. Just as you think you can't have more people in the stands … what a great first-round game, and now, St. Charles East.

"I'm just so proud of the kids. What a great opportunity for them. We'll be at home. The table is set. We just have to eat."

The Saints and Vikings haven't played each other since 1979, when St. Charles East was called St. Charles.

"During the game, I was just concentrating on (Bradley-Bourbonnais), but now … we've been wanting to play them since the beginning of the year," Geneva quarterback Mike Mayszak said of the Saints, who beat Geneva's biggest rival, Batavia, in Week 1. "We thought it would be fun to play them. Now it's here."

Both Bradley-Bourbonnais and Geneva had to battle with less-than-favorable weather conditions. It was slightly humid all afternoon. The drizzle arrived around 5:30 p.m. It rained hardest in Geneva at the start of the game -- 7:35 p.m. -- and did not stop until the second half, when the temperature dropped significantly.

"We weren't really that concerned," Mayszak said. "We knew we would execute. We've practiced in the rain before."

The game was supposed to start at 7 p.m., but Bradley-Bourbonnais' bus was stalled by traffic and poor weather conditions.

Perhaps that is why the Boilermakers got off to a slow start. Geneva took a 12-point lead before Bradley-Boubonnais showed some life and scored its lone touchdown in the closing seconds of the first half.

"I give a lot of credit to that team," Geneva senior Jake Conforti said. "If the field conditions were good, this would have been a completely different ballgame. Luckily, it worked in our favor. Their quarterback (Travis Moliga) couldn't run, and that's what he does."

"They had a lot of good players," junior running back Michael Ratay added of the Boilermakers. "We watched them on film, and they were really quick."

Ask Geneva's defensive players and they will tell you how much they enjoy playing in sloppy and muddy conditions.

"We love it," said Conforti, a defensive back.

Now ask an offensive player the same question.

"(The bad weather and mud) makes it tough, but all you've got to do is concentrate," Mayszak said. "If you concentrate, you should be able to get it. You really do need to keep your head in the game."

"I think we'd rather have better conditions, maybe pass the ball a little more, but running the ball was still fun," Ratay said.

Not that the weather conditions really mattered for Ratay -- he still got it done and had a career night with 310 yards on 35 carries and 4 touchdowns.

cbolin@dailyherald.com