Grady returns two picks for Geneva TDs
GENEVA -- In all his football career from youth through junior high and all levels of high school, Sean Grady had never returned an intercepted pass for a touchdown.
Until Friday night.
Grady made up for any past failures by taking two back for scores in helping Geneva roll past St. Charles East 34-7 at Burgess Field Friday night.
He was a total nightmare for the Fighting Saints.
His first interception return came on the first play of the second quarter when he stepped in front of an East receiver at the Vikings' 23 and raced 77 yards for a 6-0 Geneva lead.
But his second one was even grander. This time he stuck his foot in front of a Saint receiver at the Geneva one, grabbed the ball and returned it 99 yards for a clinching TD.
"I just ran as fast as I could. I only had one pick last year and I'm just trying to make up for lost time it my senior year," Grady said.
It all left St. Charles coach Ted Monken with a little sour taste in his mouth. The Saints (1-1) dominated the first quarter but came up empty. A key fumble by standout running back Wes Allen was really the play of the game.
Allen (28 carries, 116 yards) broke free on a draw play but lost the handle on the ball at the Geneva four. It bounced into the end zone where it was recovered by the Vikings for a touchback.
Grady's first interception return also killed a potential St. Charles East scoring drive, and instead of having a potential 14-0 lead, the Saints trailed 6-0.
"For the most part, I felt we gave the game away," Monken said. "You can't turn the ball over in big games."
Once Grady stole the momentum, the Viking defense became nasty. Allen simply couldn't find running room against Geneva's front wall led by Cory Hofstetter, Frank Boenzi and Andrew Clausen.
"The defense played their hearts out," Grady said. "We came into this game wanting to win this game whether or not the offense scored or not."
Once the defense began to dominate, the offense perked up. Geneva's offensive line broke senior tailback Michael Ratay loose for 140 yards in 27 carries. Ratay scored on runs of 1, 13 and 5 yards.
Then there was Grady.
"He does a lot of things for us," Geneva coach Rob Wicinski said. "He plays defense, plays offense, plays special teams and kicks. He doesn't want to come off the field."
After Friday night, why should he?
