G-K looks to keep up momentum in key BNC clash at Dixon

GENOA – Since putting up only a field goal in a 7-3 loss to state power Byron, the offense for the Genoa-Kingston football team has steamrolled its past two opponents.

The Cogs head to Dixon on Friday looking to keep up that momentum, although the Dukes (5-1 overall and Big Northern Conference) represent the toughest team the Cogs (5-1, 5-1) have faced since the Tigers (6-0).

The offense didn’t eclipse the 40-point mark this year until a Week 5 win against Rock Falls and followed suit against Oregon last week. Both teams are 1-5.

“Our offense was definitely the weakest point of our system at G-K, coming in from a new head coach,” senior fullback and linebacker Chase Engel said. “But it’s working now. We’re putting up points, 40 points the last two games. Those might not be the best two teams in the conference, but we’re still putting up points, and that’s all that counts.”

Both home wins were also shutouts, as the defense has only given up 30 points this year.

That will be tested by a Dixon offense that is second in the conference in scoring and has crossed the 50-point barrier three times this year.

“Dixon is a tough place to play,” G-K coach Cam Davekos said. “They’re a tough team. They’re a great team. We’re making sure they know the magnitude of the situation on Friday and make sure they’re paying attention to detail, play with maximum effort and coming out with no regrets.”

The players said they’ve taken some lessons out of the Week 4 loss to the Tigers. G-K beat Byron in the spring 2021 season on its way to a 3-0 record.

Engel said not only was the game uncharacteristically sloppy for the Cogs, but the team went to work after the loss on the issues that cost them.

“We played really sloppy football,” Engel said. “We had a lot of penalties. We just had a lot of mistakes up front and everything wasn’t really G-K football right there. We came back after that week, we all sat down as a football team and said, ‘Why are these things happening and how do we fix them?’ I think now we have practices under our belts the last two weeks, we should be fine with stuff like that.”

Linebacker Colin Nesler said the team also has worked on its pad level to maintain blocks Friday, something Byron took advantage of.

Nesler, also a fullback for the Cogs, said the team also has been cruising on offense the past two weeks and is confident heading to Dixon.

“Our offense has really taken a bunch of strides,” Nesler said. “We’re blocking better, we’re running through tackles. All of that coming together is leading to a lot of points.”

The Cogs have been rotating backs this year, with more than half a dozen players contributing. Ethan Wilnau has run for multiple long touchdowns this year, including 34 yards against Oregon last week. Colton Halter had two short TD runs as six players scored the team’s seven touchdowns.

“There’s still things we need to do week-to-week to tighten up,” Davekos said. “The kids are eager to keep getting on the field offensively and proving to themselves that they can move the ball and do good things with the ball in their hands.”

The game is the start of a tough two-game stretch for the Dukes, who host Byron next week.

“That’s a positive for sure,” Dixon coach Jared Shaner said. “I think we’ve proven we have been playing better at home than we have on the road, so that’s a plus. But we’re in the thick of it. At this point, I would say G-K is the second-best team in the conference, based on that close game with Byron. So we’ve got to be ready to go. We’ve been challenging the kids all week: if we don’t play well, it’ll be embarrassing, because they’re a very, very good football team.”

The Dukes’ only loss was 20-14 at Stillman Valley. The Cogs host Stillman in Week 9.

G-K and Dixon have split four games since they started playing regularly in 2016. The Cogs won, 14-6, in Dixon in 2016 and, 35-12, at home in 2019. Dixon won in Genoa in 2017, 46-14, and won at home the next year, 21-20.

“We want to be the best so we’ve got to beat the best,” Nesler said. “So when we play teams with winning records, especially teams like Dixon, Byron and Stillman, we have to bring that whole level of intensity.”