Geneva strikes fast, holds on
Geneva suffered anxious moments, but the Vikings football team outlasted Rockton Hononegah to reach the state quarterfinals for the first time since 2008.
The visiting Indians' two fourth-quarter touchdowns and fumble recovery in Geneva territory with 3:06 remaining meant a Burgess Field nail-biter until Brock Perry's interception and Justin Taormina's first-down run clinched No. 4 seed Geneva's 26-20 win over No. 5 Hononegah in Class 7A second-round action Saturday.
"We haven't been here for a long time," said Vikings coach Rob Wicinski. "It feels like 300 years. I'm happy for the kids. This is a goal we set, at least get to the quarters and anything after this is gravy."
Unbeaten No. 1 seed Cary-Grove, which beat St. Charles North 35-14 and will host, will try to make it lumpy gravy.
"Cary-Grove's a great program, we want to get our shot at the best," said Geneva quarterback Daniel Santacaterina, a crisp 11 of 12 passing for 140 yards and 3 touchdowns. "They're one of the best in the state. We want to show that we're one of those teams, too, and if we compete with them we can compete with anyone."
Geneva (10-1) looked good to go when it took a seemingly secure 26-7 lead on the first play of the fourth quarter.
Sprung by Pace Temple's 46-yard punt return and a 16-yard run by Taormina, who carried 23 times for 104 yards, fullback Max Woodworth capped the Vikings' winning 40-yard drive on a 4-yard touchdown catch. A misdirection play, he emerged from a full-house backfield into an unguarded left flat Temple had vacated to handle Santacaterina's throwback.
Hononegah (9-2) was 0-for-4 passing through three quarters then completed three straight including a trick double-pass that went 38 yards to Samuel Ballano, the Indians' top rusher with 93 yards.
Ballano scored on a 5-yard pitch to bring the score to 26-13 with 8:31 to play. Jesse Rapp then bounced Hononegah's first onside kick of the year off Geneva's front line and Keegan Powers recovered.
Capitalizing on two pass interference penalties and converting twice on fourth down, the Indians moved 63 yards to creep within 26-20 on Daytona Chandler's 19-yard touchdown pass to tight end Tristyn Berg.
"I'm very proud, it's been a gritty group all year long," said Hononegah coach Tim Sughroue, who lost 46-28 to Geneva in the second round in 2008.
This time Temple fell on Rapp's onside try, yet two plays later Geneva lost a fumble on its 33-yard line. Hononegah's Fernie Silva may have returned it for a touchdown had he picked it up neat.
A holding penalty, then tackles for loss by Geneva's Chris Barger and the combo of Nate Donati and Matt Loberg backed up the Indians to fourth-and-17 at Geneva's 40-yard line. Perry's fourth interception of the season, on an out-and-up route, returned the ball to the Vikings with 1:31 left.
"I was really persistent in having to cover my guy there," said Perry, noting Hersey had scored on a similar play last week. "The ball was up in the air, it just felt like a dream jumping up and catching the ball. It was fantastic."
Geneva began fantastic. Santacaterina completed a 20-yard pass to Temple on the first play from scrimmage and the Vikings led 7-0 on Taormina's 3-yard run and Alex Browere's kick.
Hononegah tied on Marcos Reyes' 2-yard touchdown run to cap a 17-play, 80-yard scoring drive that spanned 7:26 of the first and second quarters.
Geneva converted three third-down plays, one on a pass interference call, to set up first-and-goal from the Indians' 2-yard line late in the second quarter. Santacaterina threw to a sliding Temple for the score and 14-7 halftime lead.
The Vikings defense started the third quarter forced consecutive three-and-outs, then Santacaterina delivered a back-shoulder 21-yard completion to Temple. It helped lead to a third-down, 18-yard scoring strike to Jack Wassel, clear behind coverage, for a 20-7 Geneva lead at 5:07 of the third.
"I thought it was a mismatch, Wassel had him," Santacaterina said. "I told him to run a 'go' and he did and he caught it."
Hononegah coach Sughroue called the Indians' lack of traction out of halftime "critical." So too for Geneva's defense, which got strong games by multiple players including Loberg, Stephen Kemp, Collin Lee, Nick Carlton, Sean Chambers and middle linebacker Wyatt Shodeen.
"We've always struggled in the third quarter, we come out and we just struggle a little bit," Shodeen said. "During halftime we were talking about a zero-zero game, whole new ballgame and you've just got to come out with the same intensity that you started the game with."