This Friday is 100th football game between Geneva and Batavia high schools

A few months after becoming a sports editor in the Tri-Cities in 1978, a new high school football season began and it didn't take long to figure out Geneva and Batavia had a fierce rivalry.

At that time, Geneva was riding high behind ultrasuccessful coach Jerry Auchstetter and Batavia was trying to find its way with coach Tuenis Tait.

Since then, both programs have endured highs and lows with their programs, while putting up a few brilliant years in which both were outstanding at the same time. That included the 2006 state semifinal game in which Batavia beat host Geneva 28-0 for the right to compete for the state title.

Geneva responded by running off victories over Batavia in the next four seasons, but Batavia is on a current run in which the Bulldogs will go for their eighth straight win over the Vikings on Friday, Sept. 28.

In between, Batavia has been downstate a few times, winning the state title twice, and Geneva made it down once, falling in the title game. Geneva made it to the state final game a few years before I arrived on the scene.

And that's pretty much how this thing has rolled.

Sports writer Les Hodge kept track of the team histories when he worked for me, but he admitted it was a tough task because record keeping was not a forte of the schools.

When Hodge passed away, his records still had some gaps in them, and Batavia Library director George Scheetz took up the task of compiling the records as a historical reference as the two teams prepare for their 100th rivalry game Friday, Sept. 28, in Batavia.

His compilation of the “Biggest Game of the Season” is an impressive blow-by-blow of the longtime rivalry, with some insights from former and highly successful Batavia coach Mike Gaspari.

We're on one of those high-low cycles now in which Batavia is clearly the stronger team and program — one of the best in the state.

It is difficult to assess these days how a particular program may or may not rebound from a down cycle. It's not as cut-and-dried as in the past. Football, in general, is in a phase in which athletic directors, coaches and trainers are trying to make the game safer, while promoting high school football as the safest level of all.

But there is no denying some programs are facing lower numbers of players and looking for answers to address it.

We've been blessed to have excellent football programs in this region, and there aren't many community events that can match the spirit and excitement generated by a good football team.

Regardless of team records, the interest level in the Batavia-Geneva rivalry remains high. So high, in fact, it is also good to note the schools were selling T-shirts commemorating the centennial game in a “Competing for a Cause” event.

Proceeds from the blue shirts sold to Geneva fans, and the red ones sold to Batavia fans will benefit Marklund residential care center and the Northern Illinois Food Bank.

It illustrated that the intensity of this rivalry on the gridiron doesn't force anyone to lose track of the important things in life. In this case, it is helping those in need.

Watching for Yelo:

If a new business says “our chocolate fudge ice pop” is a favorite of customers and made of “designer chocolate,” then there isn't much more that needs to be said to convince me.

But there's more to it than that for Yelo, an ice pops and paletas (Mexican ice pops) catering business, scheduled to open next month in the 17 N. Fourth St. location in Geneva previously occupied by Firehouse Pizza.

In addition to the ice pops, Yelo has various Asian dishes on its menu, making for an interesting combination.

The store has a few small tables inside, and it's likely that the outdoor deck in the parking lot that served Firehouse would now belong to Yelo.

I wasn't able to reach anyone at the business to confirm that yet, but a note on its website and front door pitch an October opening.

A musical haven:

A Facebook note from Jeffrey Smick, a 1981 St. Charles High School graduate, confirmed something I had sensed for a long time — but really had no way to prove it.

Smick is a professional violinist in the Tampa Bay area and he wrote that one night he was listening to a Florida radio station while driving and a band was in the studio promoting its new music. He did not mention the band by name.

The deejay asked if there was any place in the U.S. in particular that impressed the band members in terms of the enthusiasm and love of music in a community.

Smick said he nearly drove off the road he was so excited by the answer — St. Charles.

Smick grew up cutting his musical chops in school with the likes of Jean Grotberg, Jeff Childs, Ron Koeppl, John Stoffel and John Mehalic. He credits them as key drivers of the community's awareness and love of all types of music.

Smick was likely around these parts when the weekslong St. Charles Arts and Musical Festival unfolded throughout the city every other summer for several years in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

That's when it became apparent that St. Charles was different from other communities when it came to putting music at the forefront.

This baton has been passed to the current school musical departments, the St. Charles Arts Council, the Norris Theater and a fellow like Ron Onesti, who has brought numerous types of musical acts to the Arcada Theatre for more than a decade now.

Jammed lines:

Do we really need landline phones in our homes anymore? Many people would say no.

I've been reluctant to do so because it's the only number my mother will call, and it is the contact number for so many places like doctors, the dentist, bank, financial adviser and others.

I also may need it to call into web conferences, which I do often for work.

Many people ditch the landline because their cellphones suit them just fine. Plus, the barrage of bogus calls coming in on our landlines for everything from political candidate pitches to insurance savings and security alarms can drive one crazy.

The “Do Not Call” list may have been an OK idea, but its ineffectiveness is apparent. The scammers and phishers have easily found their way around that.

Of even more concern is that bogus calls are infiltrating our mobile phones as well. Some industry researchers predict that as many as 50 percent of the calls on our mobile phones in the future will be of a scam variety.

So, we've ruined the traditional phone line with robocall abuse; we're making a total mess out of most social media channels; and now our mobile phones are being attacked.

Those who pay no attention and could care less about these communication channels are very fortunate — and, at times, making the rest of us look silly.

dheun@sbcglobal.net