Geneva running in fast lane

Given that Geneva's football team has won six straight conference titles dating back to its Suburban Prairie Conference days, and has made the playoffs an equal number of times, coach Rob Wicinski's Vikings appear to cruise on autopilot toward success.

From time to time, however, a wrinkle emerges that Wicinski and Co. must address.

"I think this might be one of the faster groups that we've had, but they seem to also have the smallest butts we've had," Wicinski said. "The last few years we've had some big-butted kids. I'm not used to playing like that, I'm used to a smaller team."

So while the, uh, face of the Vikings over the past couple seasons was a big bruiser like 300-pound defensive tackle Frank Boenzi, the 2010 model looks to feature a sleeker bruiser like 6-foot-4, 225-pound Andrew Mariotti wreaking havoc on opposing offensive lines.

Sure, there are juniors Jake Mills and Kevin Carlson, a pair of offensive linemen that tilt the scales upwards of 250 pounds.

Yet the complexion of this Geneva team will be molded around players such as Mariotti, track and field athletes Doug Berthold and Tom Frederick and particularly Connor Quinn, who like 2009 Tri-Cities All-Area Team honorary captain Michael Santacaterina, gives much more than he gets.

"I'm hoping he can walk right into 'Santa's' shoes both with his leadership and his ability to play football," Wicinski said of Quinn, who ran for 555 yards and a team-high 6.3 yards per carry at running back and made 27 tackles in spot duty at outside linebacker.

Geneva, which figures to be in a four-way race for the crown of the reconfigured Upstate Eight Conference's River division with St. Charles North, St. Charles East and Batavia, must also adjust to the graduation of three-year starting quarterback Brandon Beitzel and his tall targets.

Converted reciever Matt Williams figures to get the call behind center on an offensive line that, all butts aside, averages a still-healthy 226 pounds.

Experience is an issue for a team that returns only five starters total, but Wicinski likes this group's depth and flexibility - and after all, it's the same system that had the Vikings outscore their 2009 foes by nearly a 2-to-1 ratio.

"You're going to tell it's a Geneva team," Wicinski said of his old-school Pro-I offense and 4-man defensive front anchored by Mariotti, who was sixth on last year's team with 66 tackles.

"Hopefully we'll be able to handle ourselves physically. If someone comes in and really wants to pound the ball it could be an interesting situation for us," Wicinski said.

"We're emphasizing that we've got to get to the ball, utilize the speed that we have, cover a lot of ground, and hopefully offset a little lack in the butts."