Scouting the Geneva Vikings
Geneva's goal of staying in playoff contention hinges partly on staying out of the trainer's room.
In last year's regular-season finale, the Vikings came up 3 yards shy of a go-ahead touchdown that would have beaten West Aurora and qualified them for the playoffs with a 5-4 record.
Instead, they missed the dance for the second straight year, a tough pill to swallow considering the program made the playoffs 12 times in 13 seasons between 2002-2015.
It was a testament to determination and coaching that the Vikings were in playoff contention at all considering the rash of injuries suffered by key players. Starting running back Brendan Krohe (broken leg) and second-stringer Aidan Morell (knee) both suffered season-ending injuries in Week 2, lineman Frank Martin (6-foot-4, 295) missed time due to injury for the second year in a row and wideout Alex Williams fought injuries all season before he was knocked unconscious in Week 8. He had to sit out the West Aurora game.
Avoiding injuries will be more important than ever as Geneva jumps into the highly competitive DuKane Conference with a 42-man varsity roster that features more two-way players than ever before. The program fielded a varsity of 63 players as recently as the 2015-16 season.
"We'll have to think outside of the box with different rotations and things as the season progresses because nobody gets through the season unscathed," said coach Rob Wicinski, who enters his 20th season at Geneva with a 124-76 record. "No team in the area can do that. You always want to try to keep your boys healthy and have a little bit of luck to make a nice run."
This Geneva squad may lack the depth of previous incarnations, but it has plenty of front-line talent, beginning in the backfield with senior Reilly Waldoch. He helped keep the Vikings stay in the playoff hunt last season when he switched from fullback to running back due to the aforementioned injuries. The bruising 6-foot-2, 218-pounder finished an all-area campaign with 144 carries for 619 yards and 13 touchdowns. He caught 22 passes for 182 yards and a score.
Waldoch also is one of the area's best kickers. He made 25 of 29 extra points and 3 of 5 field goals. Wicinski said he trusts his kicker from inside the 40-yard line.
Also returning is Krohe (6-0, 190). In his only full game before being injured last season, Krohe rushed for a touchdown and caught 2 more in a 7-point loss to Joliet Catholic.
A healthy Martin returns "as big and strong as ever," Wicinski said. A member of Geneva's 1,000-pound weightlifting club, Martin plays alongside returning senior center Jacob Uhlmann (6-2, 240). The rest of the line consists of seniors who rotated in as juniors.
Williams, now a 6-foot-5, 185-pound junior, takes over at quarterback, the position once held by older brother Matt. "He has a strong arm that can take the tops of defenses," his coach said.
Three-year starter Cole Campbell (6-2, 240) returns at defensive end. He is joined on the defensive line by Martin and Uhlmann, who pull double duty.
Senior Dan Majewski (6-0, 225) returns at linebacker, where he earned all-Upstate Eight River recognition last season. Many positions on defense will be filled by one of the 18 juniors on the roster.
Do the Vikings have what it takes to challenge longtime rivals Batavia, St. Charles North and St. Charles North and four new foes in the competitive DuKane Conference?
"We're kind of the low dog on the totem pole right now, but I think we're going to play some great football this year," Wicinski said. "It'll be interesting. It will be a lot of fun. I'm too old not to have fun."