Tragedy once again strikes Geneva football program

You are supposed to be able to open the local sports section and not read this.

You are supposed to open this section and enjoy something I've been looking forward to for a month - the return of our Sports Monthly section.

It's full of everything we love about high school sports. A Geneva girls basketball team still undefeated. A Batavia gymnastics squad that has built itself into a power. A look at the area's unsung heroes on the basketball court.

You aren't supposed to have to read about a football player, Geneva's John McNeil, and his life ending suddenly Thursday at an all-too-young age of 18.

The same John McNeil we wrote about just two days ago, updating how his college search was going. Butler was among the possible destinations, and they would be getting an elite offensive lineman, one who paved the way for Michael Ratay to break all kinds of records and lead Geneva to the Class 7A state title game in Champaign. And they would be getting a great kid off the field, a National Honor Society student who I can still remember beaming from ear to ear while talking to him after the Vikings' semifinal win over Crystal Lake South.

The same McNeil who his coach Rob Wicinski raved about, being able to make the rare transition from quarterback to offensive lineman, all for the good of the team.

Now that same McNeil, healthy as could be just a few days ago, is gone.

And Wicinski, instead of getting to talk about all the great things one of his All-Area kids did on the field, is gathering a couple of the football players closest to McNeil to break the terrible news.

The rest of the students find out from a school announcement, giving them time to talk to counselors. Lots of tears on a very emotional day at the high school - and the entire Geneva community.

"I'm a wreck right now," senior defensive lineman Andrew Clausen said. "I didn't even know until I was done with lunch, one of our coaches came over and sat down and talked, then our principal made an announcement. I just started bawling."

Wicinski met again with the football team after school.

"It's unbelievable," said Wicinski, with the reaction of his players ranging all emotions. "You hate to learn life lessons this way. They are doing fine, as well as can be expected. They have learned to lean on each other."

Clausen played football with McNeil since seventh grade.

"We always went up against each other, we've been through a lot together," Clausen said. "It's really sad to wake up in the morning and hear one of your best friends passed away."

Clausen credited McNeil for making him a better player. On opposite sides of the line, the two went against each other a lot in practice.

"We had our battles, fought together and bled together and shared it all together, and it's just sad," Clausen said. "I'm really going to miss him. He was one of my good buddies, he helped me get better."

The reaction I got Thursday from the Geneva football family says it a lot better than I can.

"We're all in shock."

"Life is way too short."

"Heartbroken."

"It's as if lightning has struck twice."

That might be the saddest part, that only three years since Geneva came together and rallied around freshman Dustin Villarreal's death, and after the way the entire program came to the support of assistant coach Marc Fagot's battle with cancer this fall, now they have to do it again.

"Both natural causes, all of sudden no warning," Wicinski said of the two deaths. "That's usually the way it is with young people."

"They were both truly good friends," Clausen said. "As a team we've all been there for each other, it's just sad to have one of our team members pass let alone two from the same thing petty much."

Here I thought the most emotional part of this weekend would come Saturday night at Batavia's Night of Hoops, for the Bryant family gathering and this summer's tragic loss of Kevin Bryant.

Now it's going to be tonight at Geneva, where the boys and girls basketball teams have a doubleheader. It's senior night for the girls team, a bittersweet moment for sure. A chance for them to get some much-deserved recognition, but there's going to be one senior who everyone at the school wishes would be there too.

jlemon@dailyherald.com