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Geneva falls to Bradley-Bourbonnais

Big plays led to visiting Geneva's demise in the second round of the Class 7A playoffs Friday night, particularly big plays by Bradley-Bourbonnais wideout Camron Harrell.

A 5-foot-11, 175-pound junior, Harrell had a step on the Geneva secondary when it mattered. He burned the Vikings for 5 receptions for 172 yards and a touchdown to lead the hosts to a 41-22 victory.

No. 23 Bradley-Bourbonnais (8-3) advances to a state quarterfinal for the first time since 1991. The Boilermakers will face the winner of Saturday's second-round game between No. 15 Eisenhower (8-2) and No. 31 Niles North (6-4).

"We have 32 seniors who want to keep playing football," Bradley-Bourbonnais coach Mike Kohl said. "This is a huge step for our program."

No. 7 Geneva (9-2) saw its season come to an end a game shy of last year's quarterfinal appearance.

"Once we got together over the summer everybody thought we would have a good team," said Geneva's Princeton-bound quarterback Sean Chambers, who completed 15 of 32 attempts for 186 yards and a touchdown and was intercepted once. "We thought we could accomplish great things together and I think this (a second-round appearance) shows it."

Geneva never led. The Vikings fumbled away the opening kickoff and the Boilermakers took the early lead with a 42-yard Josh Lazaro field goal.

After Geneva punted, the Boilers drove 65 yards in 9 plays for their first touchdown. Senior Colin BeDell's 7-yard reception from senior quarterback Owen Starr and Lazaro's extra point made it 10-0 with 5:18 left in the first quarter.

Geneva struck back early in the second quarter to pull within 10-7, finishing a 14-play, 57-yard drive with a 7-yard touchdown run by Chambers. He kept the march alive by converting a quarterback sneak on fourth-and-1 near midfield.

However, Bradley-Bourbonnais effectively shut down the Geneva offense while scoring the next 28 straight points to take a 38-7 lead.

A 25-yard scramble by Starr set up Harrell's 1-yard run for a 17-7 lead with 2:18 left in the half, but the speedy receiver's biggest play of the game would come soon after teammate Karsten Aurella intercepted a deflected Chambers pass on Geneva's next possession.

Lined up to the left side of the formation, Harrell beat a Geneva defensive back on a streak down the left sideline, caught the ball at the 15 and dragged the would-be tackler the last 10 yards into the end zone for a 24-7 lead with 2:18 left in the first half.

"I can't take any of the credit. Coach put me in the right spot to do my job," Harrell said.

"We were surprised how close they played him," Kohl said of Geneva's coverage of Harrell, who runs the 100-yard dash in 10.5 seconds. "He's a legit track kid and our quarterback put the ball right in his hands."

Bradley-Bourbonnais scored on its first possession of the second half when Noah Fritz completed a 72-yard, 7-play drive with a 4-yard touchdown run.

The Boilermakers put the game away with one of 4 sacks of Chambers, who fumbled at his own 18. BeDell cashed in 4 plays later with an 11-yard scoring catch for a 38-7 lead with 4:45 left in the third quarter.

Geneva running back Justin Taormina was held to 39 yards on 14 carries. The senior made 3 second-half catches for 84 yards, which included a 55-yard screen pass for a touchdown and an 18-yard scoring grab.

Overall, the Vikings were outgained 329 yards to 237 and lost the turnover battle 3-0.

"We just didn't have an answer for (Harrell)," Geneva coach Rob Wicinski said. "We couldn't match their speed and they took advantage of it."

"Their defense was really tough and we lost track of our game plan a little bit, me and coach," Chambers said. "When you don't play well in a playoff game, this is what happens."

Prairie Ridge marches into quarterfinals

Geneva quarterback Sean Chambers (1) looks to pass the ball during a Class 7A second-round playoff game Friday at Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School. Sandy Bressner/Kane County Chronicle
Geneva's Brendan Hines (2) has his pass broken up by Damien Williams (10) of Bradley-Bourbonnais during a Class 7A second-round playoff game Friday at Bradley-Bourbonnais Community High School. Sandy Bressner/Kane County Chronicle
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