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
