STREAMWOOD – With a steady drizzle falling throughout Friday night’s game between Geneva and Streamwood, the Vikings football team relied on the ground game for all of their scoring.
Junior running back Justin Taormina led the way, scoring four first-half touchdowns as the Vikings routed the Sabres, 46-12, in an Upstate Eight Conference River game.
Taormina, who finished the night gaining 130 yards on 16 carriers, provided all the first-half scoring for the Vikings (3-0, 1-0 UEC River). He scored his first TD on a 3-yard run with 30 seconds left in the first quarter to tie the score at 6.
The junior crossed the goal line three times in the second half on runs of 30, 8 and 15 yards to widen Geneva’s lead at halftime to 26-6.
The dangers of throwing a wet ball became apparent early when Geneva quarterback Daniel Santacaterina’s second pass attempt of the night was intercepted by Streamwood’s Keagan Cordone, who made it to Geneva’s 1-yard line before being brought down. Sabre quarterback Max Draper put his team ahead, 6-0, with a 1-yard plunge at the 8:17 mark of the first quarter.
The Sabres (0-3, 0-1 UEC River) threaten to widen the lead when they recovered an onside kick immediately after the TD to set them up on Geneva’s 43-yard line. Sean Chambers ended the threat three plays later when he intercepted a Draper pass.
“The elements were a little challenging, more than we expected,” Geneva coach Rob Wicinski said. “We weren’t as crisp, we weren’t as tight on the offensive side of the ball.”
Santacaterina scored the team’s fifth touchdown with a 1-yard run with 6 minutes left in the third quarter.
The senior QB completed 8 of his 19 attempts for 148 yards. His longest pass of the night was for 68 yards to Max Woodworth in the second quarter that help set up Taormina’s last touchdown.
Running back Justin Nebel’s 8-yard TD run at the 2:21 mark of the third quarter increased Geneva’s lead to 40-6.
Nebel’s score was set up by Geneva’s second blocked punt of the night.
The defense scored the final Geneva touchdown all by itself with a minute left in the third quarter. As Draper was rolling to the right to set up a pass, the ball slipped out of his hands and fell to the turf near the Sabres’ 20-yard line. Geneva defender Jack McCloughan scooped up the ball and ran it in for the score to put the team up, 46-6.
“The defense played well again,” Wicinski said. “That was very encouraging.”
Geneva and St. Charles North will meet next week in a battle of 3-0 teams.