Green Machine BRAKEdown - Week 8

By Keith Brake
Geneseo Current

Geneseo had just beaten Sterling 31-10, and it was BIG!  

You could tell by the body language of the Maple Leafs football players, during and especially after the game. All positive . . . forward, like the slash on the Buffalo Bills' helmets. 

They were airborne! Never mind their ground-bound reputation. They positively flew over to their victory bell to officially open the celebration. 

“It was an exciting night,” said Geneseo Coach Matt Furlong. “I'm so proud of these kids and coaches.” 

“On defense we played to the level we thought we could. We didn't allow a defensive touchdown,” Furlong said.  

Sterling's TD came on a kickoff return. The other points were from a field goal. This from a Sterling team averaging a bit over 35 points a game coming in. But it also was an offense without a senior among the starters. 

“Our offensive staff spent a lot of time breaking things down. The guys absorbed a lot, but really it was a matter of the guys just going out and executing,” he said. 

“The atmosphere was fantastic. It was playoff game energy!” 

While we're on that subject, the win was Geneseo's fifth of the season, which makes them playoff eligible. Should the Leafs win one or both remaining regular season games, it will enhance their seeding in post-season play. 

But Friday's win was about more than playoffs. It was about at least a possible reversal of what Sterling started doing to Geneseo in 2015, beating the Leafs, often in one-sided fashion. 

Geneseo's last win over Sterling was in 2014. They didn't play in 2020, but Sterling's win streak over the Leafs stood at nine games when they teed it up last week. 

That's a lot of frustration and hurt pride building up against the dam. 

It's true the Leafs came up with a few different looks for Sterling, on both sides of the football, on Friday. 

“But, it came down to trusting the guy next to you,” Furlong said. “Our coaches and seniors have been 'bought in' for a while. But we took another major step with that win,” said the coach. 

“We even are starting to get that 'buy-in at younger levels,” Furlong said. “Our seniors have been passing it on to our four ball boys. And I couldn't help notice how excited they all were.” 

Remember, those younger boys haven't been around long enough to hear a big adult crowd really roar. Well, they have now and they want more! So do the rest of us. 

“Things are going in the right direction,” Furlong said. 

The exclamation point Friday was when Geneseo fullback Mark Nelms scored a touchdown – mostly untouched – from about 12 yards out on a fullback smash. 

Even that had meeting in this rivalry. 

Students and community members ran out to the victory bell to share the moment with Geneseo's players. And they stayed for a time. Furlong said he spotted former Leaf great Wayne Strader carrying his “beat Sterling!” sign by the bell. 

“I'll bet it was 45 minutes to an hour before people started wanting to leave,” Furlong said.  

People want to make good times last, especially during these uncertain times. 

ALLEMAN GAME – At the time of this writing, the status of Friday's Alleman game was uncertain. Tentatively, as of this Sunday night writing the game is on. Alleman had just 11 players healthy for Moline and forfeited last week's scheduled game. 

However, several Pioneers were on injury protocol and will play if they get clearance – which we may learn on Monday.

Green Machine: BRAKEdown - Week 7

By Keith Brake
Geneseo Current

Leafs Want to Kick-Start an Old Rivalry

Here we are, deep in the 2025 football season, and once again the Geneseo-Sterling game this Friday night is important.  

This year, the Maple Leafs, the Golden Warriors and the Quincy Blue Devils are gathered around second place in the Western Big Six race. 

“We're all 4-2 overall and 3-1 in the conference,” said Geneseo Coach Matt Furlong. “That Moline (4-0 vs. the league) is leading at this point isn't surprising,” he said. 

“But these last three weeks will be interesting,” Furlong said. 

Since Geneseo and Sterling joined the conference the same year, the Leafs have beaten everyone in the conference at least once . . . except Sterling. 

“I've been made aware of that,” the coach said. 

If one team wins all the games over a decade, it becomes a series, not a rivalry. Series are well, just not as much fun. 

But, the last two years, the Geneseo-Sterling games have been close. 

“Sterling has a younger group,” Furlong said. “They have been developing an identity and now, after playing a lot of guys, they're stepping into their roles.” 

A key to beating Geneseo the last 10 years for Sterling has been an aggressive defense. “They take chances,” Furlong said. “That does make them vulnerable to the big play.” 

Geneseo just hasn't hit enough of those against the Warriors to pound the ball and pile up points. Both teams like to control the game and in recent years Sterling has been better at that. 

There will be plenty of pomp and circumstance being served up with this game. 

It's Homecoming and Hall of Fame Night. 

The Hall of Fame ceremonies will come between the freshman and varsity games. Homecoming activities will be during halftime of the varsity contest. 

During last Friday's 38-20 Geneseo win at Galesburg, the first Leafs' touchdown was like a blast from the past. 

It was a pitch sweep to the left, and quarterback Jackson McAvoy's pitch to tailback Harrison Hill was a rocket and right on target. You could see Hill's body language light up because his Leaf blockers arrived at the edge they were about to set before the defenders got there. 

Hill hit the jets and rambled 62 yards for the touchdown. It looked like vintage Green Machine. 

Galesburg got its offense rolling a bit in the second half, but the Leafs stayed out of harm's way by doing some heavy duty grinding on the Streak's forward wall on defense. 

Geneseo rushed for 368 yards. Wow! Sounds from the 70s! 

Galesburg made a few plays, but when needed, Geneseo leaned on those big eaters up front to plow the row and EARN their victory the old-fashioned way. 

“Yes, we're better,” Furlong said. “The big difference from last year is our guys are self-adjusting on the field to any changes in blocking schemes our opponents use,” he said. 

It was good to see Geneseo score its final touchdown. A 38-20 final score has a more authoritative sound than 31-20, don't you think? It's sometimes called putting away a game. 

The Leaf freshmen beat Galesburg 40-0, and they continue to play very well.