Green Machine BRAKEdown – Rochelle Rundown

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

Green Machine: BRAKEdown - Week 10

By Keith Brake
Geneseo Current

Hub star's injury changes dynamics of Leafs vs. Hubs II

Do you remember back after Geneseo opened its season with a 41-14 loss at Rochelle . . . and I warned in this space that we could see Rochelle again . . .in the playoffs? 

I wasn't kidding. It's going to happen . . .Friday evening, Oct.31, at Bob Reade Field. 

What happened? I thought Rochelle was up in Class 5 now. . Well, it was, but enrollments in many schools have changed, Geneseo Coach Matt Furlong explained. He said parochial schools were particularly impacted after COVID and anyway, Rochelle, Sterling and Morris – are all in our bracket in Class 4A. 

But meaningful, if not so much fun, for the Rochelle Hubs. 

In the season opener between the Leafs and Hubs, number #10 for Rochelle, Dylan Manning, was about to return the first kickoff of his career. His only thought was 'don't let the first man down tackle me!' 

He didn't. None of them did. Manning took the return 100 yards. 

Manning was the key returnee from a very good Rochelle team two years ago. 

Fast forward to week 6, Morris vs. Rochelle. After Manning's last play of the game, he came off the field, got sick, and was rushed to a hospital. 

He had the first surgery to relieve pressure on his brain and a second procedure Oct. 11 because of infection, according to the Rockford Morning Star.
 
Since then, Rochelle's season has become a community and team prayer vigil for Dylan Manning. 

There have been three football games since. Rochelle won all three to finish playoff eligible at 6-3. They were not against the heavy end of the Rochelle schedule, but this diverted some attention away from the obvious. 

One thing I'm sure of is that Friday's game will be a typical Rochelle-Geneseo rock -em, sock 'em slobberknocker from years gone by. 

You don't expect traditional powers to make a bunch of changes because one guy is not on the field. They will come together, over the football. 

Furlong praised Rochelle's physicality after that first game; “They got off the ball well,” Geneseo's coach said. On both sides of the ball they did – limiting Geneseo to 155 net yards and a 2.9-yards per play average. 

Manning rushed 15 times for 173 yards and one touchdown in addition to his touchdown kick return. 

In his absence, Rochelle has leaned a little more on Roman Villalobos, its other big back. “Rochelle's linemen block straight ahead, with their power back coming fast right behind them,” Geneseo's coach said.. “but they'll still go to their slot backs from time to time.” 

“The Leafs did some adjusting on offense in the second half and wound up with two scores. 

That whole night in Rochelle was a tough one to sit through. Before the varsity game, the Rochelle freshmen beat Geneseo 50-7. That Geneseo team went on to post a winning record against the Western Big Six frosh teams. 

“We were playing a lot of untested guys in Week One,” Furlong said. 

“Our effort was very good,” Furlong said, “but we didn't respond well when trying to make plays. We were acting as individuals, not as a team.”

“This time, it will be more about us and executing as a team,” Furlong said. “We never got into a flow that night,” Geneseo's coach said. “The boys' perceptions of themselves have changed.” 

You can say that again, coach. 

Last Friday, Quincy scored the first seven points. 

Geneseo put up the next 45. All in a row. That works great in football . . and hand grenades. 

“We'll be watching for team concepts in everything we do,” Furlong said. We'll be watching for how we respond to things that don't go our way.” 

Right before halftime, Quincy quarterback Hunter Schuckman tried to score from a yard out on a dive. Two officials disagreed on the touchdown call, but the TD was denied and Quincy was hit with an aiding the runner penalty. 

“All of a sudden we're running the kick team in there and you hear that they said he aided the runner,” Quincy's 19-year veteran head coach Rick Little told Quincy Herald-Whig sports editor Mike Thomas. 

“There's not a flag thrown, so that was a little confusing,” Little said.

That took a touchdown off the board and Geneseo went off at halftime with a 21-7 lead, instead of 21-14. 

Little didn't make a big issue about not getting the touchdown, but said, “We can be frustrated with that call, but it doesn't matter if we don't come out after halftime and compete,” the coach said. 

“I think you have to give a lot of credit to Geneseo with their ability to just get off the ball,” Little said. “I thought they did a great job of running their offense the way they do.” 

Former Geneseo Coach Denny Diericx calculated that Quincy's down linemen averaged 260 pounds. But the Leafs' big eaters moved them. 

Geneseo rushed for 331 yards. That's a championship number in high school football. Quarterback Jackson McAvoy found his option pitches to speed back Kye Weinzierl unavailable most of the game, but tucked and ran 27 times for 217 yards and two scores.

Fullback Mark Nelms burst inside for 82 yards on 17 carries.

Quincy running back and linebacker Mason Dent told Herald-Whig Sports Editor Mike Thomas “We had our keys, but their linemen did a good job at getting who they needed to.” 

“Honestly, they just bullied us around all night,” Dent said. 

FIVE IN PLAYOFFS – The Western Big Six counted five playoff teams on Saturday night. They were first place Moline (6-0), second place Geneseo (5-1), along with Quincy, Sterling and United Township.

Green Machine BRAKEdown - Week 9

By Keith Brake
Geneseo Current

Quincy! Then, Time to Crank Up for Playoffs!

Here we are again, just ahead of the last regular season game – already in the playoffs – and now trying to win a seventh game in an effort to try and improve our seeding, which probably isn't bad to start.

Geneseo is 5-1 in the Western Big Six football race, alone in second place behind Moline (6-0 WB6), which has clinched a share of the league championship.

Beat Quincy Friday night at Flinn Memorial Stadium in Quincy and it's a guaranteed second place finish behind Moline in the conference race.

Not bad, Leafs! Not bad at all.

Leaf Coach Matt Furlong thinks that might be good enough to earn a home game in the playoff opener.

That would be even better!

Lose to Quincy, and it's likely a second place tie with two teams, but possibly a second round home game, if Geneseo gets that far.

Furlong said he believes Geneseo will remain in Class 4A.

We'll take it!

Quincy is not the multi-talented outfit it has been the last three years.

“But it's still a very good high school football team,” Furlong said. “But they sent six or seven kids to Division One programs. That many can impact every position in their lineup.”

“Their quarterback is more committed to the running game, but last year's QB (the coach's son) was so good throwing they almost didn't have to run,” Furlong said.

When they did run, they were very, very explosive.

“They do have good size in both lines,” the coach said.

“They run pretty much the same stuff, with some alterations figuring in because of physical limitations,” he said.

“We have to play in control,” said Geneseo's coach. “Our offense must stay ahead of the chains. Going down there to play is a challenge.”

Geneseo has beaten Quincy twice in eight tries. The first was 33-7 in 1987 when Quincy filled in for a Chicago team on the Geneseo schedule that couldn't come because of a teacher's strike.

The second win was 42-7 in 2021 after the Leafs had joined the WB6.

Sterling beat Quincy 38-17 last week, putting the Warriors back in contention for a piece of second place. “I wasn't surprised Sterling won,” Furlong said. “But I was surprised by the score. Sterling really got its offense in gear after halftime.”

Furlong said the week off helped the Leafs to rest and heal up some aches and pains. “Overall, our health is pretty good,” the coach said.

Geneseo hosted a Freshman/Junior Varsity game (which the Leafs won) – and did Senior Night and Hall of Fame introductions.

The crowd was big and many stayed around post-game for fireworks.

“We made the most of an unfortunate situation,” Furlong said. “We took advantage of a rest. A lot of good things came out of it.”