Taking a tour of the Tri-Cities, football style

I'm dropping back, making my reads and spreading the ball around to all my favorite targets...

Buckle up, Geneva fans: From the west border of Illinois in Week 1 - Rock Island - to the east border in Week 2, Chicago.

Or as coach Rob Wicinski says, "We're going coast to coast."

The Upstate Eight Conference isn't the only thing new on Geneva's schedule this fall. The Vikings will play both their nonconference games on the road, spending more than their fair share of time on I-88.

"I told the kids this is great," Wicinski said. "What an opportunity. I don't know how many teams can see the state of Illinois like we will."

Slimming down: Gone is three-year starter Frank Boenzi and the rest of the mammoth lines Geneva has featured in recent years.

Enter a new look for the Vikings.

"I think we are pretty fast," said senior defensive back/wide receiver Doug Berthold. "Maybe not the biggest. We have to fly to the ball and hit hard."

Connor Quinn, the leading returning rusher for Geneva, hopes that old adage about nothing beating speed is true.

"We're a little smaller but we'll be faster than we've ever been," Quinn said.

"I think the past two or three years our size has been an anomaly," Wicinski said. "We've been bigger than just about everybody. We've had some big boys. I wouldn't say we are small by any means but we don't have that kind of size."

Wicinski only has three returning starters on offense and two on defense. One of those returners, Matt Williams, is in a battle with Ben Rogers to replace Brandon Beitzel at quarterback.

Catching up with the Cadets: Marmion has no such experience problems, including at quarterback where Bobby Peters returns after throwing just 2 interceptions last year.

He's one of seven returning starters on offense joining running back T.J. Lally (SCC Player of the Year as a junior), RB/SE Nick Scoliere, RB Mike Carbonara, lineman Jake Winkel, split end Phil Kloc and tackle Graham Glasgow (who has already been offered a full-ride to Eastern Michigan).

Lally also is back on defense with end Nate Pacer, defensive back Mike Carbonara (3 interceptions last year), Scoliere and 3-year starter at free safety Mitch Loehmann.

Second time around: Mike Fields is starting his second year coaching St. Charles East. All he did in Year 1 was bring home the Upstate Eight Conference championship.

Signs continue to point up. For one, the Saints have increased their varsity numbers into the 50s after 44 "in the team picture, dressed 36" last year, Fields said.

Besides getting several seniors to come back out for the team who were in the program as freshmen and sophomores but didn't go out last year, Fields said he is pleased with the growing relationships with his assistant coaches.

"The kids are getting used to what we are trying to do as a program," Fields said. "The biggest difference is the coaches. I got to know them. They are very dedicated to the kids and the program. That has been the biggest difference. We worked on that in the off-season, they have all bought in."

Looking for leaders: The Saints have five captains. They are selected first by the outgoing seniors from the previous team, then the coaches add their input.

"I'm a big traditionalist and want them to have a say in the kind of legacy after they leave," Fields explained on why he has the graduating seniors decide who takes a leadership role.

One of the five captains is a junior, Charlie Fisher, who will take over for Nolan Possley at quarterback. The other four are seniors: lineman David Lyon, tailback Zach Zajicek (the team's top returning rusher), wide receiver Kevin Russell (whose brother Tim is playing at Illinois) and linebacker Mike Caddy.

Bulldogs look to bounce back: As frustrating as 2-7 was for a proud Batavia program last year, that record added something to the off-season motivation.

"We have had the best offseason in all the years I've been here," said senior Ben Fornek, a returning starter at defensive back who also will see time running the ball.

"Ever since last year ended everybody was frustrated and has been working hard. It is totally different than last year. Even through summer camp. It's just a different tempo. Everybody is working hard, everybody has the same mind set, everybody is ready to go."

The Bulldogs won't have Danny Seiton, the team's leading rusher as a sophomore last year who has decided to focus on baseball.

Coach Mike Gaspari is confident in several players who will fill Seiton's spot, including Fornek. Gaspari praised this year's senior class.

"As a senior you make everybody feel special on the team and that's what this group has done," Gaspari said. "They are making the underclassmen feel really good. The juniors who were with us last year as sophomores are playing like seniors. They are a lot stronger, a lot more confident, very focused, very committed."

With seven starters back on both sides of the ball, Gaspari is optimistic the Bulldogs will make a good showing in their first year of UEC play.

"I think we are going to be right back where we like to be and people are used to seeing us," Gaspari said. "They (his players) have made such a commitment I feel good as a coach."

Ditto that: Mark Gould is also feeling good at St. Charles North coming off the best postseason in school history.

The North Stars will be without quarterback Jake Bergren (broken left throwing hand after getting hit by a pitch this summer) for the first three or four games. But they do have experience in that spot from Matt Schiltz who rotated in early last year. The North Stars also have a pair of returnees at running back and wide receiver.

"We definitely felt a good energy, kids have a lot of spirit and enthusiasm," Gould said. "Some of that is from the success from last year, and a lot of it is the competition for spots."

Nowhere is that competition more fierce than defense where exactly zero starters return. Gould said defensive lineman Sean Meaney (son of Bartlett coach Tom Meaney) and senior Vince Fricke have earned starting jobs but the rest of the spots are all up in the air - the most Gould can ever remember in his long coaching career.

"Last year we (as coaches) did more directing and this year is really going to be coaching," Gould said. "I told the kids it's a good challenge. We are excited about it."