By Keith Brake
Geneseo Current
Finish plays. Finish . . .drives. Finish . . . .games!
“Finishing” might be a mantra for the Maple Leafs this week as they await Galesburg's invasion Friday night at Bob Reade Field.
Geneseo is 2-2 on the season, but it's the last two that have left marks on the Leafs' way of thinking.
Respected opponents, Moline and United Township, were clearly in the Green Machine's sights as halftime arrived in both Western Big Six games.
The Leafs trailed Moline 24-21 at half, and led UT 16-14 at intermission.
Moline wound up winning 51-21 and UT beat the Leafs 35-16.
“Our points of emphasis this season are growth and improvement,” said Geneseo first-year coach Matt Furlong. “We want to be playing our best football in weeks seven, eight, nine and into the playoffs.”
“But when plays go against you,” said Furlong, “some self-doubt can creep into your mind.”
Galesburg brings a 1-3 record in, the victory being over a winless Bartonville Limestone team. They lost to Dunlap, Morrison and Sterling.
The Silver Streaks “have explosive ability and can create problems in that regard,” Furlong said. “They're like UT in that they want to get the ball to fast guys out on the edge. And they have a back who rushed for almost 400 yards in one game.”
Against UT, the Leafs led 9-0 after one quarter and took it out to 16-7 midway through the second period.
The Panthers hit a 20-yard touchdown pass to cut it to 16-14 with 2:23 left in the half.
Geneseo drove, but missed a late 27-yard field goal attempt.
And then came something that hasn't been friendly to Geneseo's offense the last three games – the second half.
The Leafs didn't score in the second half in their win at Clinton, Wis., nor in the second halves against Moline and UTHS.
“UTHS played well defensively, but they gave us some space,” Furlong said. “We've got to be able to attack that.”
The coach had no criticism of any sort about how backup quarterback Ethan Galloway ran Geneseo's offense. “He did what he needed to do,” Furlong said.
He noted that usual starter Jackson McAvoy should be ready to go against Galesburg.
“We continued to limit our penalties,” Furlong said. “When we all do our assignments and play well as a unit, we play well,” said the coach. “When we don't, we struggle.”
UT's pass blocking was air-tight as the Panthers struck twice through the air in the third quarter.
Trailing 28-16 after the third, the Leafs still had a mathematical chance.
The Panthers finished things with a 90-yard scoring drive that ended about two minutes before the final buzzer.
“Our kids' effort has been great,” Furlong said. “Now, we've got to get everything to come together.”