Geneva handles Streamwood
With 2 losses already and a tough schedule ahead the Geneva football team knew exactly how important Friday night's game at Streamwood was for its playoff hopes. The Vikings played like a team in a must-win situation as they grinded out a 35-7 Upstate Eight Conference River Division victory over the Sabres to even their record at 2-2 overall and 1-1 in the conference.
Lance Arni was the workhorse for Geneva, carrying the ball 33 times for 152 yards and 3 touchdowns.
"We approached this game very business-like," Arni said. "We got in, took care of what we needed to do, and got out. We knew it was game we had to win."
Arni accounted for 27 of 39 yards, including a 1-yard touchdown run on the Vikings second possession as they took advantage of great field position to get on the board first and go up 7-0.
Streamwood tied the game at 7-7 on a 64-yard pass from Brendon Marton to Jesse Rico with 5;49 left in the half.
However, the Vikings struck right back just 3 plays later with a 71 yard pass play of their own for a touchdown on a slant over the middle from Kyle Evert to Joshua Mans field to regain the lead 14-7. Mans field finished with 3 receptions for 97 yards.
"Lance has been the guy we have counted on a lot and he's going to be our guy," Geneva coach Rob Wicinski said. "But we've been trying to find that perimeter game to go with him. It was good to see Mansfield make some nice catches. We are making progress in that area. We just need to see more consistency."
Arni continued to pound away in the second half, adding touchdown runs of 22 yards and 5 yards in the second half as the Vikings pulled away.
'We knew we had to pick it up after they tied it," Arni said. "I love getting the ball that much. It allows me to get into a good rhythm."
Bobby Murray added a 17-yard touchdown pass to Luke Swanson for the Vikings' final score.
The win comes after a rough 30-0 loss to St. Charles East last week.
"It's been a while since I felt this good about the win," Wicinski said. "I guess you have to be humbled sometimes to appreciate a win. We really pushed the pedal to these kids this week and I am really pleased with the way they responded."
Cole Campbell and Nick Miller each had a pair of sacks for the Vikings on defense.
Outside of the one long touchdown pass Streamwood (1-3, 0-1) managed just 94 yards of offense and only 7 first downs.
"We made some plays, but we just weren't able to put any drives together," Streamwood coach Don Guindon said. "(Geneva) did a good job of running the ball and keeping our defense on the field for quite a few plays. Eventually that wore us down.'