Geneva seniors look to continue program’s winning ways

Updated: August 22, 2011 7:53PM

GENEVA — Growing up, Geneva seniors Ben Rogers and Matt Williams had no recollection of the Vikings’ lean football years.

Over an eight-year span from 1995 to 2002, Geneva won nine football games. Total.

But by the time Rogers and Williams became ball boys on the sidelines for games, the juggernaut program that exists today was already in full swing.

“We weren’t there for all of the bad stuff,” said Williams, the quarterback who is committed to Northern Illinois University. “We all know Geneva as a winning program.”

In the eight years since that rough patch, the Vikings have averaged over nine wins per season (reminder: the regular season is only nine weeks long) and have made seven straight playoff appearances, winning at least one game every time.

“We’ve got pictures in our weight room of (former running back Nick) Herrera running down the sideline and Ben is probably a seventh-grader and you can see him jumping up and down on the sideline,” Geneva coach Rob Wicinski said. “It’s really cool to see that these guys, that’s what they grew up doing. It’s a cool experience for me, because I know that they were there.”

Now, it’s their turn to write another chapter in what has been a fine story for nearly a decade in Geneva. Rogers figures to be Williams’ main target at receiver this fall.

“Back then, I was just waiting,” Williams said. “I couldn’t wait to be here. Now, it’s senior year. It went by like that. I just can’t wait to play.”

The Vikings rifled through their first season in the Upstate Eight River last fall at 6-0, winning eight straight games total after dropping the first two games of the season. But Wicinski is quick to point out that his team allowed 278 points last year, uncharacteristic for a team that usually turns the screws defensively.

Scoring 411 points (best in the conference by a whopping 122 points) helped, but Wicinski knows that Williams and company will not be able to do it all this season.

“Defensively, we just have to get better all the way across the board,” Wicinski said. “They play hard, but we have to get better, we have to tackle better. We really struggled. We outscored teams, but we allowed 26 points per game. We don’t ever average that high.”

That led to three losses last season, the most since a 7-4 campaign in 2005, but that just illustrates the level to which the program has reached in recent years, the highlight being the Vikings’ runner-up finish in Class 7A in 2008.

Williams and his buddies have seen all of that, either from being on the team, being in the program, or being on the sidelines as kid.

This is their chance to leave their own legacy.

“This team could be a state team, no doubt in my mind,” Williams said. “Everyone has the same thought. We want to be there come November. I think that we have that opportunity. The door’s open. We need to walk through it. I just can’t wait.”

Geneva Vikings

Coach: Rob Wicinski

2010 results: 8-3

Top returners: Jacob Bastin (Jr., OL); Connor Einck (Sr.,TE); Ben Herrera (Sr.,RB); Bobby Hess (Jr., RB); Jake Mills, (Sr.,OL); Ben Rogers (Sr., WR); Matt Williams (Sr., QB); Parker Woodworth (Sr.,RB).

Key newcomers: None.

Outlook: The Vikings are explosive on offense, scoring a whopping 411 points in 11 games last season. While that is encouraging, the fact that they allowed an uncharacteristic 278 points concerns Wicinski this season. It’s a defense not filled with stars like current Northern Illinois University players Frank Boenzi and Pat Schiller in the past, so the group needs to improve as a unit to help the Vikings get out of the second round of the playoffs for the first time since their 2008 run to the Class 7A state title game.

Schedule

Aug. 26 Rock Island 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 2 Wheaton North 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 9 at St. Charles East 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 16 Elgin 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 23 at St. Charles North 7:30 p.m.

Sept. 30 Batavia 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 7 Streamwood 7:30 p.m.

Oct. 15 at South Elgin 1:30 p.m.

Oct. 21 at Larkin 7:30 p.m.

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