Taking the edge off

Ratay loves the end zone even though he's been there 44 times this season. In this case, the screams of joy seal a playoff victory late in the fourth quarter.

(Donnell Collins/Special to the Beacon News)

Font Size

Email

Bookmark

Black Text

White Text

GENEVA -- When Geneva scored a tying touchdown near the end of the first half Saturday against Carmel, the Vikings knew they were in a good spot.

The Class 7A state quarterfinal was tied at 14 after Brandon Beitzel's 8-yard touchdown pass to Michael Santacaterina, with the Vikings due to receive the second-half kickoff later on. They proceeded to score two touchdowns in the third quarter, while allowing the Corsairs only four offensive plays, en route to a 35-21 win.

Geneva advances to the semifinals for the third time in five years and will host Crystal Lake South, a 14-7 overtime winner over Cary-Grove on Saturday, at 7 p.m. Friday. The win also established a school record for wins in a season as the Vikings improved to 12-0.

"That second score really gave us a boost," Geneva coach Rob Wicinski said. "It gave the kids the confidence that they could do it. It was a really calming score for us. All the jitters went away after that."

Geneva completely controlled the third quarter to grab the momentum. The Vikings covered 65 yards in seven plays to take the lead on a 14-yard Michael Ratay touchdown run, which was keyed by a block from Brennan Quinn, in at fullback for the play from his customary post at middle linebacker. Quinn, whose father, Tom, graduated from Carmel, was slowed by a painful leg injury suffered in the second quarter, but he missed only five plays before gutting it out the rest of the way.

The Vikings defense then forced a three-and-out by Carmel (10-2) and followed it with a crushing 16-play, 84-yard scoring drive that took 6:31 off the clock. Ratay appeared to have another touchdown, but he was called out at the 1 and Beitzel sneaked in for the score, making it 28-14.

"Oh, that changed the game right there," Carmel coach Andy Bitto said. "They scored at the end of the first half, but we felt we played pretty well in the first half. We had them guessing with our option game. Their defense was looking tired and (Quinn) was limping around, so we thought we would be able to establish the running game.

"But lo and behold, they take the first drive 65 yards for a score. That was the turning point in the game."

Carmel managed to get back to within 28-21 in the fourth, but it took a 5:29 drive to do it, capped by a Mike Taylor 6-yard scoring run.

The Vikings answered right away, as Ratay broke a tackle at the line and scampered 15 yards for his third score of the game to put the game away.

For the game, Ratay rushed for 199 yards on 31 carries. On the season, Ratay is up to 2,613 yards (14th all time) and 41 scores, just four touchdowns shy of tying Billy Greenwald's single-season state record, set in 1989 at Highland.

"Not only does he get stronger as the game goes on, he gets stronger as the season goes on," Wicinski said. "He's had some amazing playoff games in his career."

The two teams traded touchdowns in the second quarter, as Carmel quarterback Andrew Nerup broke off a 27-yard touchdown run to open the scoring. The Vikings followed that with a 4-yard Ratay touchdown run, though Carmel pushed its lead to 14-7 when Nerup lofted a pass just over the hand of Sean Grady that Jimmy Miller hauled in for a 53-yard score.

Many Vikings were beaten and bruised, but they live to fight another day. After falling at home in the semifinals to Bloomington in 2004 and Batavia in 2006, Geneva is gunning for its first state championship appearance since finishing second in 1975.

"It was tough, but it was worth it," Quinn said. "We're going back to the semis." Class 7A Quarterfinal: Geneva 35, Carmel 21