Leafs and Hubs Make More Diamonds
By Keith Brake
Geneseo Current
If you are a Green Machine fan who moved into Geneseo, say 10 years ago or so ago, and have wondered why us old-timers (I am 75) get so amped up before a Geneseo-Rochelle collision, maybe you’re starting to figure it out after the two most recent meetings.
That would be last week’s 26-21 slobber-knocker of a win over the Hubs, and last year’s 16-14 come-from-behind, last-second field goal Geneseo win in the playoffs.
In both Geneseo and Rochelle, there’s just something special about that team harbored at either end of 90 miles of highway.
A look at the record between the teams since they started playing each other in 1947 may shed some light.
Rochelle has won 32 times. Geneseo has won 28. Once, in 1973, they played to a scoreless tie. Just beat each other into a fine mist.
They’ve been straightforward power football teams all the way. If you are a lump of coal, caught between colliding Leafs and Hubs, you might be turned into a diamond.
It gets pretty intense.
It was that way on Friday, Aug. 28.
Geneseo played a spirited and efficient first half, exploiting the Hubs’ defense with a couple of individualized plays from the Leafs’ flex-bone offense.
Right after the opening kickoff, Leafs fullback Mark Nelms headed up the middle, then executed one of his bounce steps to the outside an won an 86-yard race for the game’s first touchdown.
Placekicker Carson Peters missed the point after. Make a note of that.
Geneseo fans had noted by now how physically imposing the Hubs are. Coach/TV announcer Denny Diericx said that including a pair of 6-7, 230-pound tight ends, the Hubs’ offensive line averaged 238 pounds.
Fortunately, this edition of the Leaf linemen are not without their own ballast.
But, the Hubs used one of those 6-7 tight ends, mis-matching him against a 5-11 Leaf defender, on a 13-yard first down pass to the 4. Rochelle’s first touchdown followed from there and the kick gave the visitors their first lead with 22 seconds left in the first quarter.
Geneseo struck right back with wingback Jack Mickley scoring from 24 yards out, with an outside belly play that had some misdirection it. Geneseo had driven 72 yards in a hurry, and Peters’ kick put the homeboys up 13-7.
Colton Mooney recovered a fumble on Rochelle’s 36-yard line. Quarterback Luca Turigliatti hadn’t carried yet, and when he ran option and cut to the middle, the defense was not home.
After Peters’ kick made it 20-7, the Leafs, who were getting the second half kickoff, had visions of three-score lead. But it didn’t happen.
Geneseo got the ball back at Rochelle’s 47 and drove to the Hubs’ 23 with two seconds left. But a 40-yard field goal try was wide left.
The Leafs left potential points off the board with missed kicks in the first half.
The second half grew more emotional and physical, with penalties playing a bigger role in the game.
The Leafs drove to Rochelle’s 18, then a 35-yard field goal try was wide right.
Geneseo appeared to have an interception after a deflection at the Leafs’ 3, but Geneseo was called for pass interference.
That led to a one-yard Rochelle touchdown run and point after kick, and a 20-14 Leafs lead with 1:13 left in the third quarter. Some 30 yards in Geneseo penalties helped Rochelle get points during this sequence.
Rochelle popped up a pooch kickoff which the Leafs didn’t try to field. Officials ruled the Hubs didn’t allow the fielding attempt on a kick that didn’t go 10 yards and penalized the Hubs.
Another pass to one of the 6-7 tight ends moved the ball close. A two-yard dive play and kick put Rochelle up 21-20 with 5:13 left in regulation.
On fourth-and-8 from Geneseo’as 25, Turigliatti completed a 12-yard pass to Mickley and a late hit was ruled against Rochelle.
That brought the Hubs’ coach, Kyle Kissack, and an assistant onto the field. The Hubs were hit with another major penalty and now Geneseo had a first down on Rochelle’s 33 with 2:59 left.
“Kyle (Kissack) was upset by the first call,” Leafs Coach Matt Furlong said. “But it was the assistant who drew the second penalty,” said Geneseo’s coach.
“So we go from 4th and 8 on our own 25 down into their territory, to where we could possibly kick a field goal to win,” Furlong said. “Those calls definitely went our way,” he said.
On third and eight from the 20, Mickley made a slashing, cutting run down to the 5. Mickley got up limping.
“Stinger,” Furlong said. “His first one. Those make you feel weird. But he was up and around on Saturday.”
Nelms crashed the final 5, putting Geneseo up 26-21 with 1:15 left. An inside fake froze the defense just enough for Nelms (197 yards on 28 carries) to belly to the outside.
Rochelle went tight end hunting again. Just 8 yards were available, and a blocking in the back call nullified those.
On a third-and-12 play from the 17, the quarterback blooped one into and over triple coverage. Keaton Ariano stepped back, picked it off and stepped down...in bounds.
It was victory formation time for the Leafs.
“Our defensive line play is so much better than last year,” Furlong said.
“Runs Rochelle made that were gaining seven and eight yards last year were making three or four in this game,” said Geneseo’s coach.
Furlong gave credit here to strength coach Angelo James and an off-season buy-in by the players.
UP NEXT: LEAGUE PLAY AT ROCK ISLAND
The Rock Island Rocks have a new but familiar to us head coach Geneseo graduate Anthony Roome, who coached defensive players at Moline, Geneseo and UT before signing on with the Rocks.
The Rocks are 0-2, having been outscored 100-28 by Maple Park Kaneland and Dunlap.
The mission Friday for Geneseo’s defenders: Keep them in front of you. They have speed.
