Rochelle ends Geneva's regular-season dominance

GENEVA – An upset, it probably was.

A fluke, it definitely wasn't.

Yes, Rochelle's thrilling 21-14 victory over Geneva at muddy Burgess Field Friday night shook the high school football world.

It was Geneva's first regular-season loss since Oct. 20, 2006, when the Vikings lost to Batavia. That was a stretch of 24 games, including 18 straight in the Western Sun Conference, in which the Vikings left the field a winner.

"You learn a lot from a loss and what doesn't kill you will makes you better, and I think we'll be better because of it," Geneva coach Rob Wicinski said. "I'm interested to see how the kids react."

Rochelle (5-2, 3-2 WSC) won the game in the first half, when it went to halftime carrying a 21-6 lead with it.

It all started on the opening kickoff, when the Vikings fumbled and the Hubs recovered at the 43 and used nine plays, and a big chunk of the first-quarter clock, to score on a 3-yard run by quarterback C.J. Navarro. Cristian Perez kicked the extra point for a quick 7-0 Rochelle lead.

Geneva finally got the offense rolling early in the second quarter, with quarterback Brendon Beitzel scoring on a 4-yard run. The extra point was missed, allowing the Hubs to hold a 7-6 lead.

Then came the two game-breakers. Rochelle, known as a running team, went to the air for a pair of TD passes: 28 yards to Austin Gabriel and 33 yards to Chris Williams.

The second one was a killer. It came on the final play of the half.

"Their safeties were doing a good job filling up on the run," Rochelle coach Kevin Crandall said. "It was just our kids making a good play."

Geneva (6-1, 4-1) didn't go down easily. In fact, the Vikings dominated on both sides of the ball after halftime.

After giving up 153 yards in the first half, Geneva allowed the Hubs only 67 in the second half. That also gave life to a sleeping Geneva offense.

The Vikings, with tailback Michael Santacaterina (21 carries, 126 yards) doing most of the damage, scored with 6:08 left on his 5-yard run. A 2-point conversion pass from Beitzel to Jack Delabar made the score 21-14 and gave new life to the Vikings.

Geneva even had a chance for the tying score with just over two minutes left, when Rochelle punter Dan Ruppenthal fumbled the snap from center and Geneva recovered at the Hubs 40.

But it wasn't to be. Geneva's last hope, a pass into the end zone on fourth-and-3 at the Rochelle 34, was intercepted.