Leafs ‘Get Physical’ to Beat Galesburg
By Keith Brake
Geneseo Current
In the week after the Maple Leafs lost to United Township’s football team, Geneseo Coach Matt Furlong allowed “that last year’s team figured out how to win in the Western Big Six by using its physicality.”
It was a hint of what was coming. Next hint: The Leafs running down the student tunnel about 20 minutes before the Galesburg game last Friday night.
Geneseo’s players looked like a swarm of thousand-leg spiders, falling down a hill. They couldn’t wait to get out on the field.
The Silver Streaks had scored 56 points the previous week in LOSING to Sterling. Well, fifty-six does get your attention.
All Geneseo did to Galesburg was score on its first 9 possessions! Eight touchdowns and a field goal. The last TD created a running mercy clock early in the fourth quarter of the Leafs’ 58-23 win.
“We really played well in all three phases of the game,” Furlong said. “We got back to physicality on our blocks and tackles,” said the coach. “That is what we’ve got to do to succeed in our conference.”
“If we have no pre-snap penalties, this game showed our guys where they’re at,” Furlong said.
Where they were at Friday was out in front of the Silver Streaks, from start to finish.
Geneseo is managing some injuries. “We were down to our backup guys at the running back spots,” Furlong said. “But by now, everybody has been getting repetitions during game action.”
Sophomore Ben Simosky jumped into our conversation. He took over the starting spot at fullback while regular Mark Nelms gets healed.
Those of you who’ve been around here for a long time (like me), doesn’t Simosky as a fullback remind you of Bob Orsi (1970)? Orsi was earning his pre-season All-America honors as a offensive guard and defensive linebacker during his sophomore and junior seasons, ahead of his big senior year.
But, the Leafs were in need of a fullback type during his senior year, and Orsi was only too happy to help! If he got spun around during a carry, he could run over people while going backwards!
So now comes league-leading Sterling (5-1 overall), Friday night up at their place. The Leafs broke a 10-game Golden Warriors win streak over Geneseo with a 31-10 pull-away-late handling of the Warriors last year at Bob Reade Field.
“They’re aggressive and fast on defense, but it’s either feast or famine for them,” Furlong said. “On offense, they’re balanced between run and pass,” the coach said.
Last year’s Geneseo win helped the Leafs, Furlong said, as have competitive games and some wins at younger levels of the two programs.
Sterling was a 27-20 winner of Hammond-Morton of Indiana last week. “They had good athletes who are explosive,” Furlong said. “They would be a competitive team in the WB6.”
The maestro in the Sterling offense is quarterback Brady Berlin (6-1,185). His favorite target has been wideout Quincy Moss (5-11, 160).
Geneseo’s freshmen were 26-22 winners over Galesburg. The frosh have won four in a row to stand at 4-0 in conference play. Overall, they are 4-2.
Furlong said that as of this writing it does not appear there will be a week 8 fill-in for Alleman, which has forfeited its conference schedule.
And, the playoffs are a certainty for Geneseo, according to the IHSA website. Other WB6 schools that are in, include Sterling and Quincy.
