Ratay rambles on for Geneva vs. Carmel

Geneva's Michael Ratay lets out a yell as he crosses the goal line for a score against Carmel.
(Donnell Collins/For the Beacon News)

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The late Walter Payton lives on in the heart and minds of Chicago fans, including one who wasn’t even born when the Bears Hall of Fame running back played.

Michael Ratay showed Paytonesque style Saturday, getting stronger as the game went on to lead host Geneva to a 35-21 victory over Carmel in the Class 7A playoffs.

The Vikings (12-0) will host Crystal Lake South in a semifinal game next week. The 12th victory is a school record.

‘‘I’m a big fan of Payton’s,’’ said Ratay, who says Payton influenced his running style. ‘‘I have the video ‘Pure Payton,’ and he always took tacklers on instead of running out of bounds, and he had amazing body balance.’’

Ratay rushed for 190 yards and three touchdowns against a defense that allowed one rushing touchdown all season. He totaled 134 yards in the second half of a game that was tied at halftime.

The senior tailback scored from 14 yards out with 8:56 left in the third quarter to give the Vikings a 21-14 lead they would not relinquish. He carried 13 times for 92 yards in the third quarter, when the team held the ball for nearly 10 minutes.

Statistics don’t tell the story of how he either made Carmel defenders miss or broke out of gang tackles to keep the chains moving.

‘‘He doesn’t just get stronger as the game goes on, but as the year goes on,’’ Geneva coach Rob Wicinski said. ‘‘He can cut and go and break tackles.’’

Quarterback Brandon Beitzel took the pressure off Ratay by completing all five of his second-half passes. He scored on a one-yard quarterback sneak with 13 seconds left in the third quarter to give the Vikings a 28-14 lead. Beitzel threw an eight-yard touchdown pass to Michael Santacaterina with 53 seconds left in the first half to tie the game at 14.

Carmel (10-2) got off to a good start when quarterback Andrew Nerup ran behind the blocking of Patrick Lyons for a 15-yard score and a 7-0 lead in the second quarter. Nerup later connected with Jimmy Miller down the right sideline for a 14-7 lead with 4:53 left in the first half.

Mike Taylor was the workhorse for the Corsairs with 157 yards on 23 carries. The senior fullback scored on a seven-yard run with 6:44 left in the game to cut the Vikings’ lead to 28-21.