Genoa shuts out Aurora Central

Mike Curry wasn't about to mince his words.

"That was one of the most embarrassing games I have ever been a part of," the Aurora Central head coach said after watching his team get throttled 44-0 Friday night by visiting Genoa in the season opener.

And Curry has been around a lot of football games with 22 years at the helm of ACC under his belt.

"We looked like we didn't practice, we looked like we hadn't done anything, we looked awful," Curry said.

The statistics would bear out Curry's displeasure, especially when considering he was counting on his offensive and defensive fronts to control the game.

Instead, Genoa used superior speed and technique to beat ACC players to gaps early and often in dominating the game from start to finish.

The Chargers managed only 102 yards of total offense, with only 8 of those passing, while Genoa had twice that, plus some, on the ground alone in compiling 253 yards rushing to go along with 104 through the air.

Those passing yards cut through the evening's cool, damp air, especially when Genoa quarterback Craig Billington connected on two long touchdown passes in the first half - a 31-yard strike to Rob Thurlby and a 34-yard toss as time expired for an acrobatic catch of a deflection by Nick Lopez.

The Cogs also scored on their first snap from scrimmage, a 45-yard scamper around left end by workhorse Garrett Johnsen (25 carries, 117 yards). They also had a lucky bounce when lineman John Cwiok recovered a Johnsen fumble in the end zone for a touchdown.

It all added up to a 28-0 halftime lead that the Cogs weren't about to give up. When Genoa added short TD runs by Johnsen and Billington, plus a safety, in the second half, it led to a running clock because of the lopsided score in the fourth quarter.

"I think Aurora Central was concerned about our speed, and we have a handful of skill kids who can do a good job," Genoa coach Bill McCarty said.

"We weren't sure what Central was going to run offensively, and we prepared to defend against a power running game," McCarty added.

With the running game shut down, ACC quarterback Stewart deWaard was ineffective when trying to throw the ball, having two of his three passes in the first half picked off.

"We were outhit and out-hustled," Curry said. "We just looked awful offensively.

"The part of the game that we were relying on, which is our running game, never materialized and if we don't get things straightened around soon, it will be a long season again," said Curry, who was hoping his Chargers could somehow put last year's 0-9 nightmare behind them.

"I know we have some strong, strong kids; but strength is one thing, keeping your feet moving is another," Curry added. "And we have to get that straightened out, and we go back to work on that Monday."