Geneseo writes win worth a Reade
GENESEO, Ill. — The Geneseo Maple Leafs rang the traditional victory bell at the end of Friday’s showdown with the Moline Maroons.
How else could they possibly ring in the newly christened Bob Reade Field?
“That was what we were thinking about when we came out,” two-way senior back Jake Ballageer said after the Leafs (2-0) followed pre-game ceremonies to name their field after the legendary ex-Leafs coach with a convincing 21-3 win. “It was a rough start, but we pulled through in the end.”
And in style.
After falling behind to a 42-yard Anthony Diaz field goal on Moline’s first turn with the football and then taking a slim 7-3 lead into halftime thanks to a 38-yard Michael Atwell to Logan Patten touchdown toss, the Leafs took control past intermission behind a determined defense.
The 5-foot-11, 180-pound Ballageer set the tone for the second half early, blitzing from the defensive backfield when Moline gambled on fourth-and-one at midfield on the half’s first possession.
He met Josh Anders, the Maroons’ 5-11, 275-pound fullback, a yard behind the line of scrimmage and absolutely blew him up.
“You put your head down and hope for the best,” Ballageer said of making a tackle while giving up 100 pounds.
Nine plays later, Ballageer carried the football over from the 2 to make it 14-3, and the Leafs were on their way.
With 190 yards of total offense, including 42 rushing yards apiece from Patton and Jason Johnson, who scored the game’s final TD from five yards out, the Leafs offense did enough.
The defense was especially formidable, limiting the Maroons (0-2) to 50 yards of offense and just three first downs past intermission.
Ballageer conceded there was a sense of urgency. It’s not every Friday night, after all, that they name your football field after the man who came to downtrodden Geneseo in 1962 and built a program that now is an annual winner and a postseason perennial.
“He is the founder,” Ballageer said of the coach who won three straight state titles then moved on to Augustana in 1978. “He built this from the ground up. He is what it is all about.’’
Moline coach Joel Ryser said the Maroons weren’t victims of the occasion.
“I’m not going to say Bob Reade beat us,” he said. “We got handled on the line.”
Craig DeVrieze can be contacted at (563) 333-2610 or cdevrieze@qctimes.com.