Viking Notes: Odds and Ends From Friday Night Football

Some Saturday-morning miscellany from a disjointed mind:

Roger That—One of the first things we noticed at Friday night's football game was that Ben Rogers was on the sidelines with bandaged leg. Rogers is an athletic 6-2 wideout and was expected to be a primary target for Matt Williams. Rogers had a strained right calf, and doctors said that if he gave it a week or so, it might save the remainder of his season.

Enter Santacaterina—Rogers also is backup quarterback, so there was some question about who would step up if (God forbid) Williams was sidelined. It looked like Dan Santacaterina dressed. I'm not sure if he's a freshman or a sophomore (he wasn't listed in the program), but he was wearing No. 15 Friday night.

Hess Is Deep—Bobby Hess was "deep to receive" Friday night and did a nice job running back kicks. Our failed to mention a beautiful 59-yard breakaway run from scrimmage by Hess. The interception followed, erasing the big gain and the momentum.

Good Genes—Ben Herrera is the fullback, wearing No. 33, as his dad did. Joe Herrera is arguably the best fullback in Geneva history, an unstoppable powerhouse of a fullback. Ben is just 5-7, 160 and more a slashing or skittering-type runner, but also a big-play threat. He had one carry for 28 yards and a huge 9-yard catch Friday night.

Distributive Property—With Rogers out, Williams distributed the ball to a lot of players. Parker Woodworth caught one pass for 23 yards. Kevin Curtin caught three for 37 yards, Tyler Hickey caught one for 45 yards, Connor Einck caught one for 19 yards and a TD, Dan Berendt caught one for 4 yards, and of course, Herrera's 9-yarder. I hope that adds up to 137, which is what we credited as Williams' total passing yardage.

100-Yard Game—Geneva is famous for its star running backs, and Woodworth had his first 100-yard game right out of the gate. He started slowly, with three-straight 1-yard gains, then picked up momentum like a freight train. He ended with 107 yards and three TDs.

Dances With the Daffodils—I probably will type Parker Woodworth's name wrong at some point. Either I'll call him Connor Woodworth, thinking of last year's outstanding RB Connor Quinn, or I'll type Wordsworth, the poet whose magnum opus is generally considered to be The Prelude, according to Wikipedia.

Poetry, Wicinski Style—Speaking of Wordsworth (call me Captain Segue), Wicinski had some great quotes that read almost like poetry, and I just didn't have time to get into the story Friday night. (If you listen hard, you can make them out in the post-game video, though.) Maybe the best quote—and I should probably have used it for the lead—was regarding Williams' decision to pass when the Vikings were in punt position on fourth down with the ball on the 50-yard line. (The pass was incomplete, by the way.) "He's a riverboat gambler," Wicinski said of this senior quarterback. "I told him, 'I'll gamble with you any day.' "

Move Your Feet—Williams is the field-goal and extra-point kicker, as well as the punter this year. So he darned well better stay healthy.

Bend, Don't Break—If there is such a thing as a big-play defense, Geneva might fit the description. Brandon Richardson alone had 195 yards, and I'm guessing the Rocks' total offense was ove 300 yards, easy. But the Rocks recorded just 14 points. No big plays, per se.

Bulldogs With Attitude—Batavia beat Marmion, and the Bulldogs look sharp. That sets up what could be a great game Sept. 30.

Falcon Crest—Next up for Geneva is . Hopefully, my air card will be working by then so I can actually get you some real-time information and file early.