By Keith Brake
Geneseo Current
I thought the Maple Leafs had that “playoff look” - a certain kind of confidence – when they took the field and went through warmups at DePaul College Prep's field on Saturday.
They belonged on that stage. So did DePaul, obviously, as the Chicago Catholic League team went on to score a 38-13 victory.
This Geneseo team had earned this moment, to go out and play a formidable opponent, in a second round Class 4A playoff game.
“Well, we wished for a different outcome, of course,” said Geneseo Coach Matt Furlong.
The Leafs trailed 31-7 at halftime.
“We challenged the guys at halftime,” Furlong said. “A lot of teams might have shut down at that point. But I'm proud of how the guys finished the game,” he said.
DePaul outscored Geneseo just 7-6 in the second half. Jack Mickley intercepted two passes after halftime, and Kye Weinzierl ran under a touchdown pass from Jackson McAvoy.
“We had a happy mindset coming out of this,” Furlong said. “A lot of good things are ahead. Our kids are buying into what we (coaches) are saying.”
Furlong had hoped DePaul wouldn't figure out Geneseo's option right away. DePaul drove for an opening score, then the Leafs got the kickoff out to their own 13.
Here came the option. Quarterback Jaclspm McAvoy faked a dive play, then pitched out to Kye Weinzierl. The edge was set, Weinzierl cut, got a perfect downfield block and raced just over 70 yards before being knocked out of bounds.
Second play: Touchdown pass to tight end Carter Holke, and it's a 7-7 game in a suddenly silent stadium.
DePaul jammed the option the next time the Leafs ran it, but they didn't have it totally figured out. I think I counted five times where the Rams were called for being offside on subsequent option plays.
I guess losing five yards is better than losing 70 or more on a long run.
DePaul was quick to recover in general.
“Their offense was a way to showcase their talents,” Furlong said.
They had an athletic quarterback who saw the field well and got the ball to players who found open areas.
'And their defenders looked like college football players. Not always real big, but fast and explosive,” the coach said.
The Leafs had four turnovers in their first 10 times with the football.
“DePaul is well-coached,” Furlong said. “They attacked some vulnerabilities we had.”
“It was the first time all season DePaul had faced a team that took snaps from under the center,” Furlong said. “You could see their wheels were spinning a little.”
“We played extremely well at times, but we were not consistent.”
So . . . did the Leafs improve from one end of the season to the other?
“Without a doubt,” Furlong said. “Our mental makeup improved, our willingness to play for each other, our belief in our teammates – we got all of that going.”
Going forward, the coach said his players must devote themselves to building in the weight room. “Strength and explosiveness will transfer onto the field,” said Furlong.
“The trend these days is to focus on one sport,” he said. “Most of our guys do one or two others – and that is what we want.”
“The other thing is to build culturally. We want our guys to learn leadership skills, in football and athletics in general. They'll be able to use those skills in high school and in other areas of their lives.”
