High-flying Geneva puts 62 more points on the board, routs Glenbard North
No letdown.
That was a big part of Geneva football coach Boone Thorgesen’s message sent to his team prior to Friday night’s game against Glenbard North.
After all, it would only be human nature for a bunch of high school players to bask in the glow of last week’s thrilling victory over rival Batavia — and let up on the gas a bit this week.
From the outset, the Vikings’ offense was prepared for the task at hand.
Senior quarterback Ben Peterson (12 of 15, 356 yards) tossed four of his career-high seven touchdown passes in the first half, including a 65-yard bomb to senior receiver Bennett Konkey on the first play from scrimmage, as the Vikings (6-1, 5-0) grabbed a 41-14 halftime advantage on the way to a 62-35 DuKane Conference triumph over the visiting Panthers (3-4, 1-4) at Burgess Field.
“Some people said this would be a trap game for us, but we had a good week of practice and a good week of preparation,” said Konkey. “It all showed up Friday night.”
Geneva scored touchdowns on all six of its first-half possessions, including a 51-yard deep ball touchdown to junior wideout Luke Ignoffo, and a 31-yard scoring pass to senior tailback Nelson Wendell on the final play of the half — capping a three-play, 59-yard drive in the last 41 seconds.
“It was all go there,” Thorgesen said of the late first-half score. “Ben scrambles and finds the open man. We always have faith that we’ll get it done. That was a huge score for us.”
Senior free safety Alex Abraham recorded a pair of first-half interceptions that the Vikings’ fast-paced offense turned into quick touchdowns.
Konkey (four receptions, 183 yards, four touchdowns) caught an eight-yard flip pass from Peterson to make it 14-0, and Abraham’s second pick led to Wendell’s six-yard touchdown run that extended the margin to 34-14 with 2:56 left in the second quarter.
Glenbard North senior tailback Angelo Gatses rushed for 289 yards and three touchdowns on 34 carries, while junior quarterback Logan Kramer threw a touchdown pass and ran for 106 yards and a score.
Defensively, the Panthers had no answers for the Vikings’ high-powered attack. Wendell (10 carries, 92 yards) finished with 139 all-purpose yards, while Ignoffo caught four passes for 110 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Geneva’s all-senior offensive line, featuring tackles Oliver Egan, Mark Atkins, guards Jake McCastland, Mason Dilks, and center Joey Ninni, kept the pocket clean throughout — and Peterson did the rest.
“We preached all week how important this game was coming off an emotional one the week before,” said Thorgesen, whose offense has scored 118 points the past two games. “And we were playing a good football team in Glenbard North. The guys were ready to play.”