Green Machine: BRAKEdown - Playoff Notebook

Hard Work Rewards Peters and Leafs

By Keith Brake
Geneseo Current


We keep coming back to that Rochelle game, but why not?

It was a classic!

“They'll be talking about this game for years!” exclaimed Geneseo TV play-by-play announcer Denny Diericx.

So why not talk about it a little more now?

Leafs Coach Matt Furlong had a few words to share about the man of the hour, placekicker Carson Peters, whose 36-yard field goal provided the margin of Geneseo's 16-14 win over Rochelle.

“Carson has done a job working on onside kicks,” Furlong said. “It paid off.”

“Carson spent a lot of time this summer working on kicking with his dad,” the coach said. “To the point of doing calisthenics right before running out to kick, to get his heart rate up before running out and kicking in a game.”

That's not crazy. But it's pretty precise!

“Carson played both soccer and football before this year, but he decided to just do football this year,” Furlong said. “And all the work with his dad has helped Carson become more comfortable with the game.”

Some keys to the Geneseo win

“We knew the Rochelle game would be tight,” Furlong said. “We knew matchups with their offensive line would be tough, but our kids responded to the situation and put themselves in position to win.”

“The kids said they were sore, so we asked them if they would rather win and be sore . . .or lose and be sore,” said the coach.

Furlong said Geneseo won because of three reasons, then named more than that.

'First, on defense we tackled really well except for maybe two plays, and we held them to three to five yards per play,” he said.

“Second, our kids knew what to expect from our first game against Rochelle.” (such as being sore!)

“Third, we had diversity on offense. We worked Kye Weinzierl and Jackson McAvoy against them early, then came back with Mark Nelms inside later,” Furlong said.

“Another thing was our special teams play” noting the most special play of all – the last one – and one a bit earlier: Peters's kickoff which led to Jayden Wexell's recovery.

Furlong also said the Leafs used a new scheme to pass the ball to Weinzierl in behind the defense to set up the game-winning field goal.

“It was big that we held them to two scores,” Furlong said.

“This game, we executed well all over, compared with our first game with them,” he said, “and the kids stayed more composed in the fourth quarter.”

Playoffs help sustain programs

It's no accident that Geneseo and quite a few other programs appear in the state playoffs quite often.

Coach Pat Mitchell, one of the commentators on Geneseo's livestream broadcasts, said, “Each week the varsity advances in the playoff means another week the younger players can practice with them,” he said.

The high school season is relatively short compared with the college and pro campaigns, and that extra practice leads to some drastic improvements during the playoffs. If you've watched Geneseo teams over the years, you'll remember how some of them just exploded during post-season play.

“Staying alive in the playoffs is a way the good programs sustain themselves,” Mitchell said.

Green Machine: BRAKEdown - Week 11

Some Blasts From the Past for Leafs

By Keith Brake
Geneseo Current


“The town is excited,” said Geneseo Football Coach Matt Furlong.

“Our boys are excited,” he said. “And you know who is taking all this in?” he asked.

“Our younger kids,” he said, knowing full well that bunch, which includes future Green Machine players, had never seen Geneseoans really let their hair down about football, like us old geezers did.

Well wake up the echoes and shake down thunder!

It's happening, maybe a year sooner than Furlong expected.

“There are signs in store windows, I mean BIG signs” he said. Signs of support are up all over town. Decorated green tractors in farm fields. And just a general buzz in the air. “You can tell something is up,” Furlong said.

Observers say it began quietly after the Moline game, in which Geneseo acquitted itself as well as anyone local has against the WB6 champions.

Nobody around here does playoff football quite like Geneseo. I always say that sometimes.

On Saturday, we'll get a blast from the past when the Leafs play the Macomb Bombers at their place.

These two teams had a home-and-home regular season series during the 1970s, Geneseo won all six games.

But, there was one game and one superb athlete we'll never forget. I say Phil Bradley of Macomb is the greatest quarterback a Geneseo team ever played against.

In 1976, at home, the Leafs beat the Bombers 35-32, and did so only because Geneseo had possession on the last drive of the game!

Bradley threw laser-guided rocket balls. His receivers tried to catch them in their bellies. King Cline, one of his receivers, feared broken fingers would result if he tried to catch one in his hands.

Bradley was a two-sport athlete, baseball being the other one. He went on to establish passing records at the University of Missouri, then went on to a long career with baseball's Seattle Mariners.

When I got upstairs to talk with Geneseo's coaches, Bob Reade was doubled over, laughing. “I'll bet you're here to interview my defensive coordinator,” Reade said.

Seated next to him, said coordinator, Larry Johnsen, Sr., was about to double over. And he was trying to hide his face.

Bradley was one of those athletes that Macomb had thanks to his dad's coaching employment at Western Illinois University. The Bombers get a kid from that relationship with Western every now and then. I'm not sure if that's the case this year, but they've got several guys who stand out on the scouting reports.

Unfortunately for Macomb, Phil Bradley graduated back in the 70s.

This year, the Bombers are 9-1, having lost to a good Farmington team.

Coach Furlong says quarterback Kaden Knupp (#5, 6-0, 175) “throws a good deep ball.” Knupp through 9 games had 13 touchdown passes and a .582 completion percentage.

Running back Drake May (#23, 5-11, 165), had averaged 124 rushing yards a game and 14 tackles a game from his linebacker position. He had 14 touchdowns as of two weeks ago.

Drew Watson (#1) averaged 80 yards receiving per game through that period.

“I was impressed by Macomb,” Furlong said. “They're a disciplined team with a good running game.”

“On defense, Macomb tackled well in space,” he said. “Hillcrest (playoff round one opponent) had some speed, but Macomb always had people around their quick guys.”

Macomb won that game 21-6.

Green Machine BRAKEdown – Rochelle Rundown

Leafs-Hubs: Another Cosmic Collision!

By Keith Brake
Geneseo Current

As I write this on Saturday, Nov. 1, space aliens haven't wiped out the Earth, and we've all lived to witness another great Geneseo vs. Rochelle football game.

The space aliens serial on fake news online probably is fictional (happy Halloween, folks!). But Geneseo vs. Rochelle is about as real and as good as it gets in these parts.

Their Class 4A playoff game on Friday, Oct. 31 at Bob Reade Field has been dubbed an “instant classic” by some in the media, and for good reason.

It was a rock'em, sock'em slobber-knocker, as I had forecast. It was like quite a few past Rochelle-Geneseo rumbles. I was especially reminded of the 1965 epic played in my presence over on what is now the Youth Football League Field. Rochelle won that one, 18-13, but you remember how great the game was more, I think, than who won.

By now you know the Leafs won this more recent one, 16-14, on the last play of the game, a 36-yard field goal by Geneseo's Carson Peters. It was Geneseo's first lead of the game!

Geneseo-Rochelle games go by all too quickly. That's because these are two run-first programs. The difference in this one, probably, was the Leafs' 67-0 advantage in passing yards.

I had a sense that Geneseo was more explosive, with more potential for explosive plays of 10 yards or more. That's what wound up happening, but the Hubs did a fantastic job controlling tempo with their grinding ground game.

Rochelle slot back Tyler Genser ran 15-yards for the opening touchdown during the first quarter.

Sides of linemen from both teams smashed into each other with intent until late in the third quarter, when Geneseo got a drive going.

Kye Weinzierl, the second back through on a play, cut behind a strong lead block and scored from 13 yards out, and the teams slammed forward into a fateful fourth quarter, tied at 7.

Most of the fourth belonged to Rochelle big back Roman Villalobos, a strong, balanced runner, who led all rushers in this game with 136 yards on 29 carries.

Villalobos was magnificent in taking over the heavier rushing load for injured teammate, Dylan Manning, who is recovering from two brain procedures after being injured a couple weeks prior against Morris.

Villalobos scored from a yard out and Rochelle led 14-7 as the teams headed down the stretch.

Weinzierl, who caught a fourth-down pass from Jackson McAvoy to keep this late Geneseo drive going, did it again with another catch, this one a 24-yard scoring strike on which Weinzierl made a diving catch. It's now 14-13, Rochelle, with less than a minute left to play.

The Leafs elected to go for two points and the win.

Quarterback McAvoy rolled just a little to the left of center . . .and was ruled short of the end zone.

Now Geneseo had 44 seconds left. . . time for an onside kick. Carson Peters had a small area to place the ball in, but he did just that. The ball bounced on the turf, a Hub player grabbed at it, and dropped it.

Geneseo's Jayden Wexell recovered.

The Leafs drove to Rochelle' 19-yard line, then McAvoy spiked the ball. Four seconds remained.

Peters came out for a 36-yard field goal attempt. He was alone in the world, focused only on the task at hand, he said, the only calm soul amid a maelstrom of craziness.

Long snapper Payton Hofer did his job, so did holder McAvoy, then Peters moved forward and put his name alongside many in the Leaf's man-of-the-moment records.

The kick wobbled a little, but was straight and plenty long. Final gun! Ballgame! Fireworks and a mob scene!

Over north of Atkinson, a gaggle of hens were jolted awake once again . .by a roaring crowd.

Villalobos showed his character and leadership during a moment of defeat. “There is no reason to be sad,” he told Shaw Newspapers reporter Drake Lansman. “We have reason to be proud of all that we accomplished this season.”

Rochelle opened the season with a 41-14 demolition of Geneseo in the season opener up at their place.

“They're a great team, very physical,” Geneseo's McAvoy said. “But we're not the same team we were back then.”

Geneseo will take a six-game winning streak into Macomb for this week's second-round game. During that run the Leafs have averaged 33 points a game.

NOTE – We'll have Macomb-Geneseo previews later this week. Meanwhile. . Didn't this Leafs team just defeat Sterling AND Rochelle, in the same season???? GO CRAZY, FOLKS

Green Machine: BRAKEdown - Week 10

By Keith Brake
Geneseo Current

Hub star's injury changes dynamics of Leafs vs. Hubs II

Do you remember back after Geneseo opened its season with a 41-14 loss at Rochelle . . . and I warned in this space that we could see Rochelle again . . .in the playoffs? 

I wasn't kidding. It's going to happen . . .Friday evening, Oct.31, at Bob Reade Field. 

What happened? I thought Rochelle was up in Class 5 now. . Well, it was, but enrollments in many schools have changed, Geneseo Coach Matt Furlong explained. He said parochial schools were particularly impacted after COVID and anyway, Rochelle, Sterling and Morris – are all in our bracket in Class 4A. 

But meaningful, if not so much fun, for the Rochelle Hubs. 

In the season opener between the Leafs and Hubs, number #10 for Rochelle, Dylan Manning, was about to return the first kickoff of his career. His only thought was 'don't let the first man down tackle me!' 

He didn't. None of them did. Manning took the return 100 yards. 

Manning was the key returnee from a very good Rochelle team two years ago. 

Fast forward to week 6, Morris vs. Rochelle. After Manning's last play of the game, he came off the field, got sick, and was rushed to a hospital. 

He had the first surgery to relieve pressure on his brain and a second procedure Oct. 11 because of infection, according to the Rockford Morning Star.
 
Since then, Rochelle's season has become a community and team prayer vigil for Dylan Manning. 

There have been three football games since. Rochelle won all three to finish playoff eligible at 6-3. They were not against the heavy end of the Rochelle schedule, but this diverted some attention away from the obvious. 

One thing I'm sure of is that Friday's game will be a typical Rochelle-Geneseo rock -em, sock 'em slobberknocker from years gone by. 

You don't expect traditional powers to make a bunch of changes because one guy is not on the field. They will come together, over the football. 

Furlong praised Rochelle's physicality after that first game; “They got off the ball well,” Geneseo's coach said. On both sides of the ball they did – limiting Geneseo to 155 net yards and a 2.9-yards per play average. 

Manning rushed 15 times for 173 yards and one touchdown in addition to his touchdown kick return. 

In his absence, Rochelle has leaned a little more on Roman Villalobos, its other big back. “Rochelle's linemen block straight ahead, with their power back coming fast right behind them,” Geneseo's coach said.. “but they'll still go to their slot backs from time to time.” 

“The Leafs did some adjusting on offense in the second half and wound up with two scores. 

That whole night in Rochelle was a tough one to sit through. Before the varsity game, the Rochelle freshmen beat Geneseo 50-7. That Geneseo team went on to post a winning record against the Western Big Six frosh teams. 

“We were playing a lot of untested guys in Week One,” Furlong said. 

“Our effort was very good,” Furlong said, “but we didn't respond well when trying to make plays. We were acting as individuals, not as a team.”

“This time, it will be more about us and executing as a team,” Furlong said. “We never got into a flow that night,” Geneseo's coach said. “The boys' perceptions of themselves have changed.” 

You can say that again, coach. 

Last Friday, Quincy scored the first seven points. 

Geneseo put up the next 45. All in a row. That works great in football . . and hand grenades. 

“We'll be watching for team concepts in everything we do,” Furlong said. We'll be watching for how we respond to things that don't go our way.” 

Right before halftime, Quincy quarterback Hunter Schuckman tried to score from a yard out on a dive. Two officials disagreed on the touchdown call, but the TD was denied and Quincy was hit with an aiding the runner penalty. 

“All of a sudden we're running the kick team in there and you hear that they said he aided the runner,” Quincy's 19-year veteran head coach Rick Little told Quincy Herald-Whig sports editor Mike Thomas. 

“There's not a flag thrown, so that was a little confusing,” Little said.

That took a touchdown off the board and Geneseo went off at halftime with a 21-7 lead, instead of 21-14. 

Little didn't make a big issue about not getting the touchdown, but said, “We can be frustrated with that call, but it doesn't matter if we don't come out after halftime and compete,” the coach said. 

“I think you have to give a lot of credit to Geneseo with their ability to just get off the ball,” Little said. “I thought they did a great job of running their offense the way they do.” 

Former Geneseo Coach Denny Diericx calculated that Quincy's down linemen averaged 260 pounds. But the Leafs' big eaters moved them. 

Geneseo rushed for 331 yards. That's a championship number in high school football. Quarterback Jackson McAvoy found his option pitches to speed back Kye Weinzierl unavailable most of the game, but tucked and ran 27 times for 217 yards and two scores.

Fullback Mark Nelms burst inside for 82 yards on 17 carries.

Quincy running back and linebacker Mason Dent told Herald-Whig Sports Editor Mike Thomas “We had our keys, but their linemen did a good job at getting who they needed to.” 

“Honestly, they just bullied us around all night,” Dent said. 

FIVE IN PLAYOFFS – The Western Big Six counted five playoff teams on Saturday night. They were first place Moline (6-0), second place Geneseo (5-1), along with Quincy, Sterling and United Township.

Green Machine BRAKEdown - Week 9

By Keith Brake
Geneseo Current

Quincy! Then, Time to Crank Up for Playoffs!

Here we are again, just ahead of the last regular season game – already in the playoffs – and now trying to win a seventh game in an effort to try and improve our seeding, which probably isn't bad to start.

Geneseo is 5-1 in the Western Big Six football race, alone in second place behind Moline (6-0 WB6), which has clinched a share of the league championship.

Beat Quincy Friday night at Flinn Memorial Stadium in Quincy and it's a guaranteed second place finish behind Moline in the conference race.

Not bad, Leafs! Not bad at all.

Leaf Coach Matt Furlong thinks that might be good enough to earn a home game in the playoff opener.

That would be even better!

Lose to Quincy, and it's likely a second place tie with two teams, but possibly a second round home game, if Geneseo gets that far.

Furlong said he believes Geneseo will remain in Class 4A.

We'll take it!

Quincy is not the multi-talented outfit it has been the last three years.

“But it's still a very good high school football team,” Furlong said. “But they sent six or seven kids to Division One programs. That many can impact every position in their lineup.”

“Their quarterback is more committed to the running game, but last year's QB (the coach's son) was so good throwing they almost didn't have to run,” Furlong said.

When they did run, they were very, very explosive.

“They do have good size in both lines,” the coach said.

“They run pretty much the same stuff, with some alterations figuring in because of physical limitations,” he said.

“We have to play in control,” said Geneseo's coach. “Our offense must stay ahead of the chains. Going down there to play is a challenge.”

Geneseo has beaten Quincy twice in eight tries. The first was 33-7 in 1987 when Quincy filled in for a Chicago team on the Geneseo schedule that couldn't come because of a teacher's strike.

The second win was 42-7 in 2021 after the Leafs had joined the WB6.

Sterling beat Quincy 38-17 last week, putting the Warriors back in contention for a piece of second place. “I wasn't surprised Sterling won,” Furlong said. “But I was surprised by the score. Sterling really got its offense in gear after halftime.”

Furlong said the week off helped the Leafs to rest and heal up some aches and pains. “Overall, our health is pretty good,” the coach said.

Geneseo hosted a Freshman/Junior Varsity game (which the Leafs won) – and did Senior Night and Hall of Fame introductions.

The crowd was big and many stayed around post-game for fireworks.

“We made the most of an unfortunate situation,” Furlong said. “We took advantage of a rest. A lot of good things came out of it.”

Green Machine BRAKEdown - Week 8

By Keith Brake
Geneseo Current

Geneseo had just beaten Sterling 31-10, and it was BIG!  

You could tell by the body language of the Maple Leafs football players, during and especially after the game. All positive . . . forward, like the slash on the Buffalo Bills' helmets. 

They were airborne! Never mind their ground-bound reputation. They positively flew over to their victory bell to officially open the celebration. 

“It was an exciting night,” said Geneseo Coach Matt Furlong. “I'm so proud of these kids and coaches.” 

“On defense we played to the level we thought we could. We didn't allow a defensive touchdown,” Furlong said.  

Sterling's TD came on a kickoff return. The other points were from a field goal. This from a Sterling team averaging a bit over 35 points a game coming in. But it also was an offense without a senior among the starters. 

“Our offensive staff spent a lot of time breaking things down. The guys absorbed a lot, but really it was a matter of the guys just going out and executing,” he said. 

“The atmosphere was fantastic. It was playoff game energy!” 

While we're on that subject, the win was Geneseo's fifth of the season, which makes them playoff eligible. Should the Leafs win one or both remaining regular season games, it will enhance their seeding in post-season play. 

But Friday's win was about more than playoffs. It was about at least a possible reversal of what Sterling started doing to Geneseo in 2015, beating the Leafs, often in one-sided fashion. 

Geneseo's last win over Sterling was in 2014. They didn't play in 2020, but Sterling's win streak over the Leafs stood at nine games when they teed it up last week. 

That's a lot of frustration and hurt pride building up against the dam. 

It's true the Leafs came up with a few different looks for Sterling, on both sides of the football, on Friday. 

“But, it came down to trusting the guy next to you,” Furlong said. “Our coaches and seniors have been 'bought in' for a while. But we took another major step with that win,” said the coach. 

“We even are starting to get that 'buy-in at younger levels,” Furlong said. “Our seniors have been passing it on to our four ball boys. And I couldn't help notice how excited they all were.” 

Remember, those younger boys haven't been around long enough to hear a big adult crowd really roar. Well, they have now and they want more! So do the rest of us. 

“Things are going in the right direction,” Furlong said. 

The exclamation point Friday was when Geneseo fullback Mark Nelms scored a touchdown – mostly untouched – from about 12 yards out on a fullback smash. 

Even that had meeting in this rivalry. 

Students and community members ran out to the victory bell to share the moment with Geneseo's players. And they stayed for a time. Furlong said he spotted former Leaf great Wayne Strader carrying his “beat Sterling!” sign by the bell. 

“I'll bet it was 45 minutes to an hour before people started wanting to leave,” Furlong said.  

People want to make good times last, especially during these uncertain times. 

ALLEMAN GAME – At the time of this writing, the status of Friday's Alleman game was uncertain. Tentatively, as of this Sunday night writing the game is on. Alleman had just 11 players healthy for Moline and forfeited last week's scheduled game. 

However, several Pioneers were on injury protocol and will play if they get clearance – which we may learn on Monday.

Green Machine: BRAKEdown - Week 7

By Keith Brake
Geneseo Current

Leafs Want to Kick-Start an Old Rivalry

Here we are, deep in the 2025 football season, and once again the Geneseo-Sterling game this Friday night is important.  

This year, the Maple Leafs, the Golden Warriors and the Quincy Blue Devils are gathered around second place in the Western Big Six race. 

“We're all 4-2 overall and 3-1 in the conference,” said Geneseo Coach Matt Furlong. “That Moline (4-0 vs. the league) is leading at this point isn't surprising,” he said. 

“But these last three weeks will be interesting,” Furlong said. 

Since Geneseo and Sterling joined the conference the same year, the Leafs have beaten everyone in the conference at least once . . . except Sterling. 

“I've been made aware of that,” the coach said. 

If one team wins all the games over a decade, it becomes a series, not a rivalry. Series are well, just not as much fun. 

But, the last two years, the Geneseo-Sterling games have been close. 

“Sterling has a younger group,” Furlong said. “They have been developing an identity and now, after playing a lot of guys, they're stepping into their roles.” 

A key to beating Geneseo the last 10 years for Sterling has been an aggressive defense. “They take chances,” Furlong said. “That does make them vulnerable to the big play.” 

Geneseo just hasn't hit enough of those against the Warriors to pound the ball and pile up points. Both teams like to control the game and in recent years Sterling has been better at that. 

There will be plenty of pomp and circumstance being served up with this game. 

It's Homecoming and Hall of Fame Night. 

The Hall of Fame ceremonies will come between the freshman and varsity games. Homecoming activities will be during halftime of the varsity contest. 

During last Friday's 38-20 Geneseo win at Galesburg, the first Leafs' touchdown was like a blast from the past. 

It was a pitch sweep to the left, and quarterback Jackson McAvoy's pitch to tailback Harrison Hill was a rocket and right on target. You could see Hill's body language light up because his Leaf blockers arrived at the edge they were about to set before the defenders got there. 

Hill hit the jets and rambled 62 yards for the touchdown. It looked like vintage Green Machine. 

Galesburg got its offense rolling a bit in the second half, but the Leafs stayed out of harm's way by doing some heavy duty grinding on the Streak's forward wall on defense. 

Geneseo rushed for 368 yards. Wow! Sounds from the 70s! 

Galesburg made a few plays, but when needed, Geneseo leaned on those big eaters up front to plow the row and EARN their victory the old-fashioned way. 

“Yes, we're better,” Furlong said. “The big difference from last year is our guys are self-adjusting on the field to any changes in blocking schemes our opponents use,” he said. 

It was good to see Geneseo score its final touchdown. A 38-20 final score has a more authoritative sound than 31-20, don't you think? It's sometimes called putting away a game. 

The Leaf freshmen beat Galesburg 40-0, and they continue to play very well.

Green Machine BRAKEdown: Week 6

By Keith Brake
Geneseo Current

It had been a while since I heard a war-hoop rise up from the Geneseo side of Bob Reade Field that was comparable to the one that roared over the soccer fields and out to wake up chickens over north of Atkinson.

The Green Machine, down 33-28 with 1:27 left to go after yielding a late touchdown to United Township, watched UT players celebrate their go ahead score – and draw a penalty for it -while Geneseo's coaches contemplated what plays to use.

Fast forward...with 40 seconds left and the ball still out there near the UT 40, Geneseo sent senior tight end Carter Holke deep down the right side.

There was some bumping taking place, and quarterback Jackson McAvoy's pass went up there . . .way up there. “I thought it would never come down,” said Maple Leafs Coach Matt Furlong.

It did, Holke surrounded it, and caught it. At or near UT's 10-yard line.

Next play: A pitch that sailed behind running back Harrison Hill and lost 15 yards.

Next play: “A throwback, to Carter,” said Furlong. It really was our third option.”

But Holke had slid past the left side of the Panther defense and was by himself, alone. He caught the football, turned around and took one step, maybe two, into the end zone.

Now it's 34-33, Leafs. Kye Weinzierl ran it for two points and got in easily. 36-33, with 22 seconds left.

The kickoff was downed inside UT's 25. Two incompletions followed, then Weinzierl sacked the quarterback near the goal line to end certainly the game of the year, so far, for Geneseo.

It was played hard, and clean, and was a treat compared with some of the games we've seen since Geneseo joined the Western Big Six.

“That was a win that could help us in a lot of ways,” Furlong said.

Like the playoffs, the conference race, and maybe more important things, said Geneseo's second-year coach.

“UT had been picked by the coaches to win the conference this year,” Furlong said.

“But our guys handled adversity better than they have been,” said the coach.

“Our mindset is improving and I'm including the coaches on that,” Furlong said. “They're all getting a better understanding of what we're trying to do.”

“Like on that last series, when we had a short field to defend, the kids saw that our coaches had kept their composure. That helps the boys' confidence level.”

“UT is really on the rise,” Furlong praised. “Their talent is a good as any in the conference.”

So this Friday the Leafs play at Galesburg, which is 2-3 overall and 1-2 against the league.

Geneseo, 3-2 overall and in second place in the WB6, will face off against a Silver Streaks team that is a mix of seniors and sophomores. “They will run some of what other teams in the conference run,” Furlong said. “We have to pick up on their schemes.”

NOTES: Geneseo ran 71 plays to 50 by UT; The Leafs outgained the Panthers 369 to 302; Geneseo won the first down battle 21-17, and on third downs it was 7-11 for Geneseo, to 1-5 for UT.

Green Machine: BRAKEdown - Week 5

Moline Was Really Good. UTHS Could Be.

By Keith Brake
Geneseo Current

Since Geneseo joined the WB6 a few years ago, we've come to expect a free-flowing fusillade of points when the Panthers square off against the Maple Leafs.

Geneseo and UT are old neighbors. They get excited about playing each other.

UT has been steadily improving the last several years, and after a 3-0 start, Panther fans were starting to talk about being a playoff team this year.

That's still on the table, for both teams. But the sense of urgency on making improvements is a little more prominent now. Geneseo already has two losses. UT has one, after riding under a low bridge against Sterling last week.

The Panthers were up 21-3 in the first half, but mistakes happened. Sterling scored 33 straight points, and ran off with a 49-28 win.

“They'll run a spread on offense,” said Geneseo Coach Matt Furlong about UT. “They have a very talented sophomore quarterback and a good running back they like to get the ball to out in space.”

That sounds something like Moline, but maybe not quite like the Maroons, who passed the ball out to a rangy tight end one time, ran it off tackle with a quick, balanced runner the next. All of this behind a collegiate-size offensive line that employed three different blocking schemes.

Moline beat Geneseo 28-7 last week.

On defense, Moline didn't miss many open field tackles. They also messed up quarterback exchanges with Geneseo's backs. “We improved on that some in the second half,” Furlong said. “All of that is a lot for an offense to absorb and execute, but you can imagine how hard that is for the defense,” he said.

“That's the best Moline team in a few years,” Furlong said, with some emphasis.

“We studied film on Saturday to start preparation for UT,” the coach added. “We had three good weeks of practices prior to Moline, but we were not as sharp last week, for some reason.”

“This week, our focus will be to apply what we've learned.”

If not?

“We can't replicate some of the speed and ability we'll be facing,” Furlong said.

Sounds like trouble might be just ahead.

But the little things you learn along the way – the details - can more than make the difference – if you apply them.

For years, Geneseo teams have written their proud history by doing just that. Their 45-10 win over Rock Island a couple weeks ago was their 700th win in program history. That's a lot of details, absorbed and applied.