Brown, Geneva stun Oswego
Oswego spotted visiting Geneva a three-score lead, but the Vikings still needed some fourth-quarter magic to prevail.
Kyle Brown, winning a jump-ball situation with an Oswego defensive back, raced 80 yards with a Daniel Santacaterina pass to negate the Panthers' only lead of the game — which lasted all of 19 seconds.
Pace Temple, concluding a masterful game playing both ways, then preserved the Vikings' 29-27 victory Saturday night in Oswego with his second interception of the game deep in Geneva territory.
The Vikings' two wide receivers caught a half-dozen passes each for almost 300 yards as Santacaterina threw for 4 touchdowns and 337 yards passing on 15-for-29 attempts.
“All day (the Oswego defensive backs) had been keying on the back side,” said Brown, who finished with 137 yards receiving and his game-winning score. “It opened the way for Pace to make some plays.”
Temple, who had 160 yards for his 6 catches, raced 53 yards after Santacaterina found the junior in stride streaking across the middle barely a minute-plus into the second quarter.
“Kyle Brown is such a talented player,” Pace said. “A great win for everybody. I don't usually get looked at like that. (Santacaterina) puts it on the money. (On the final interception) I just wanted to make a play for the team.”
The second Temple score provided Geneva with a 20-0 lead after its opening three possessions in the delayed football opener for both schools.
Temple capped the Vikings' opening drive from 5 yards out, and T.J. Miller doubled the cushion seven plays after Oswego coughed up the ball on its first possession.
Miller, the Vikings' workhorse feature back, scampered 27 yards on a brilliantly executed throwback screen with four minutes to play in the first quarter.
But Oswego would respond in what was a renewal between two longtime former conference rivals.
Tyler Walsh, who led both teams' rushing attacks with 145 yards on 22 carries, scored three times for the Panthers.
Oswego closed to within 20-13 late in the second quarter, but the first Temple interception had an equally portentous outcome for the Vikings.
In what proved to be a pivotal moment, Billy Douds kicked a 42-yard field goal as time expired in the opening half.
The score was magnified even greater when Oswego scored on its opening drive to begin the third quarter.
Geneva then had several chances to increase its lead, but mistakes and breakdowns in the red zone nearly caused the Vikings to implode.
Walsh tallied from 11 yards out to give Oswego a 27-23 lead with 4:38 to play.
But the Santacaterina to Brown connection came on the Vikings' first play trailing in the game.
“It's too bad we got beat on that one play,” Oswego coach Brian Cooney said. “Kyle Brown is a very, very talented wide receiver.”
“We didn't know what to expect,” Geneva coach Rob Wicinski said. “I'm very proud of the way the guys hung in there.”