advertisement

Geneva takes down Richards

Until about five Geneva defenders dragged down Richards' tailback Romeo Johnson near midfield after a wild 30-yard scamper as time expired, Vikings' fans were on the edge of their seats.

The wild finishing play, with Johnson taking a pitch from a scrambling Hassan Muhammad-Rogers with 1.5 seconds remaining put the finishing touches on a defensive effort that helped host Geneva (2-0) claim a 22-19 nonconference win Friday night over the 6A powerhouse.

It was a defensive exclamation point on a night in which Geneva registered five sacks on the elusive and rugged Muhammad-Rogers, assuring that the Vikings' offensive heroics on the night would stand up.

On a night when Geneva's running game was snuffed, junior tailback Justin Taormina picked the fourth quarter to bust the longest Viking run of the night. His 29-yard touchdown scamper with 5:33 left in the game opened a 22-13 lead.

Taormina also made a diving catch in the end zone on a 17-yard toss from quarterback Daniel Santacaterina in the second quarter.

Santacaterina completed 20 of 31 passes for 311 yards, with 74 of those coming on a first-quarter touchdown bomb to a sprinting Pace Temple that gave Geneva the confidence it could run with the quick Bulldogs.

"That was just a little route that me and Pace run in practice, and we knew we had it, so we ran it and it was open," Santacaterina said. "It was gold."

Geneva held a 14-0 lead at halftime, mainly because the Viking defense bent, but did not break. Geneva stopped a Richards drive at the 15-yard line and forced a 25-yard field goal miss the next time the Bulldogs drove deep into Geneva territory.

"Things didn't go well on the offensive side of the ball for us, and the defense played fantastic and had a great game plan," Geneva coach Rob Wicinski said. "I thought our defensive backs came up and met them and kept that speed contained on the perimeter."

Much of the defensive success came with a solid rush from the front four, keeping Muhammad-Rogers contained in the pocket most of the night.

"We were getting pressure all game and I got off the ball quick and made some plays there," said defensive lineman Matthew Loberg, who registered two sacks that stalled Richards drives.

"We were feeling good because our line works hard and we are going to keep moving forward," Loberg said.

Richards (1-1) opened the second half with a 71-yard drive that Muhammad-Rogers capped with a 5-yard keeper to trim the lead to 14-7.

Geneva's next scoring chance was halted when Richards blocked Brendan Hines' 20-yard field goal attempt. The Bulldogs then moved within a point early in the fourth quarter when Ramonta Hill intercepted a Santacaterina sideline pass and finished off the ensuing possession with a 10-yard touchdown run. Geneva blocked the extra point attempt.

Taormina's 29-yard scoring jaunt then capped an 11-play, 80-yard drive, with Temple taking the low extra point snap and running it in for a two-point conversion and the 22-13 lead.

Richards mounted another scoring drive to move within three points when Johnson bulled over from a yard out with 2:31 left. Muhammad-Rogers was stuffed on the two-point run attempt.

The Vikings then held the ball for the next two minutes, with Santacaterina finding Landi for a critical 12-yard reception on a third-and-10 play at the Geneva 38-yard line.

Three plays later, Santacaterina punted to Richards, but the Bulldogs let the ball roll until 1.7 seconds remained. It set up the wild run by Muhammad-Rogers and Johnson on Richards' final snap to end the game.

Geneva amassed 366 total yards, but only 55 came on the ground. Richards had 108 yards rushing, with much of it coming on scrambles. Muhammad-Rogers hit 18 of 29 passes for 234 yards.

The Bulldogs were their own worst enemy much of the night, committing 12 penalties for 95 yards.

"We have a lot of juniors starting on the line, but that's not an excuse, we just have some work to do," Muhammad-Rogers said. "I'm proud of the guys, they played as hard as they could.

"We're going to fight until the end all of the time, but you have to play good for four quarters to beat a team like Geneva."

Images: Richards vs. Geneva football

  Geneva's Justin Taormina hits the turf sending a spray of water as he clenches the ball for a second quarter touchdown vs. Richards on Friday. Laura Stoecker/lstoecker@dailyherald.com
Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.