Scouting Rochelle @ Geneva

Rochelle (4-2, 2-2) at Geneva (6-0, 4-0)

Game time 7:30 p.m. today

Last year Geneva 35, Rochelle 14.

Last week Sycamore 26, Rochelle 0; Geneva 55, DeKalb 0.

Outlook Hello, mudder! Using short field position repeatedly gifted by DeKalb, including Bret Shannon's fumble recovery to start things off, Michael Santacaterina slogged his way to 4 touchdowns and 104 yards last week. Santacaterina, Jay Graffagna, quarterback Brandon Beitzel and friends squirted for 341 yards behind pounding linemen Dan Carlson, Justin Craig, Ben Humbert, Brandon Posek, Brett Willman and Matt Springhorn. Vikings coach Rob Wicinski called it probably the third worst game, weather-wise, he's coached in, a game he said probably neither displayed Geneva's dominance nor DeKalb's ineptitude - DeKalb fell to Glenbard South only 21-14 the week before. He looks at Sycamore's romp over coach Kevin Crandall's Hubs in a similar, though more dangerous light. "He's (Crandall) won 800 percent of his games," Wicinski said. "They're not going to throw out two dogs in a row." Crandall's winning percentage at Rochelle is actually 69 percent, but who's counting when he tosses out 11 men on the line of scrimmage defensively and runs good, old-fashioned, double-tight power football nearly every play. This is a physical outing, a scrum, tailor-made for the Vikings' 300-pound defensive tackle Frank Boenzi to gum up the Hubs' interior offensive line. Wicinski said last year Rochelle's two touchdowns came on bombs - which signaled it was not Rochelle's game when it diverted from its strength. Last week Rochelle got burned by the sprinter's speed of Sycamore's Marckie Hayes, and while Graffagna (team-high 463 yards rushing) is Geneva's one back who approaches the speed of the all-conference Sycamore athlete, it is perhaps an indication that Rochelle can be had on the perimeter. So in addition to utilizing his running backs, Beitzel may throw outside a little to his receivers Jake Landau, Jack Delabar, sophomore Matt Williams and 6-foot-2 Charlie James. Playoff eligibility clinched, coach Wicinski is looking for the consistent intensity and execution required in the postseason. "We're looking to get to a playoff-type atmosphere for this game," he said. "We're really trying to ratchet it up on our end."

Next Glenbard South (4-2, 3-1) at Rochelle, Oct. 16; Geneva at Kaneland (4-2, 3-1), Oct. 16.