On a night of pomp and nostalgia, it was the Geneva Vikings football team that stole the show with a gritty victory over the Saints of St. Charles East High School.

The festivities began with the presentation of the Homecoming Court (congrats to seniors Josh Meyer and Rachel Longo on being voted King and Queen), the welcoming of graduates from 1975 and 1985, and a spirited performance by the band.

St. Charles reminded the crowd of their Homecoming theme from last month “Saints Across America” by sprinting onto the field carrying the stars and stripes.

As kickoff neared, the stands filled to the rafters. Nervous murmuring contributed to the electric atmosphere. The student section turned raucous with their signature “I Believe that We Will Win” chant as the Vikings trotted onto the field. Soon thereafter, the ball was sent twirling into the chilly fall sky, and the game was underway.

St. Charles East wasted no time on their first drive. Senior Justin Jett scored a long touchdown run on just the third play of the game. The Saints relied on a clever if unoriginal offensive strategy for their early success. Utilizing the 3-running back system of Cary Grove (who knocked out the Vikes out of the state playoffs last year), the Saints sent the home team into the 5 stages of grief with powerful runs and tricky option tosses.

Despite the denial of the crowd, anger embedded on the faces of the lineman, bargaining of the coaches attempting to rework the game plan, and the depressed mood that filled the stadium, the Vikings never completed the last step; accepting defeat. After a punt was muffed by the Saints with 9:20 to go in the 1^st quarter, star quarterback Sean Chambers connected with favorite target Jack Wassel to tie the game at 7 with 8:26 left on the clock.

The teams traded possessions before an interception set up St. Charles with favorable field position. Justin Jett took full advantage once again, punching into the end zone from close range to put the Saints up 13-7 with 3:04 to go. The extra point was shanked. The quarter ended with that score, but the Saints were driving again.

Shortly after the 2^nd quarter began, Saints junior Cameron Canales scored a rushing touchdown to extend the lead to 20-7. The defenses of both teams seemed to finally settle in, with the score staying locked until a St. Charles fumble set up a touchdown run by Vikings senior Justin Taormina to make the score 20-14 with 3:20 to go. The Saints responded with a touchdown pass from Zach Mitchell to Dante Macaluso. The score stayed 26-14 however, as the attempted 2-point conversion was not only a failure but frightening as well.

An inadvertent whistle by the line judge caused Saints kicker Nick Candre to slow up as he ran the ball towards the end zone. Multiple Vikings defenders had already committed to the tackle, and Candre did not move from the turf after a punishing hit. 10 minutes dragged by. Everyone in attendance held their breath as Candre was taken off in an ambulance with an apparent back injury. Initial reports thankfully indicated that the hospital trip was precautionary, and the injury is not presumed to be as serious as it first appeared.

As both teams were still collecting themselves after the brutal injury, Geneva got the ball back thanks to another St. Charles mishandle (this time on a failed pitch recovered by Alec Keating). Chambers found Wassel down the sideline again, and at the half, the Vikings were back in it, down 26-21.

After another great performance by the marching Vikings, the second half began. Neither offense could get anything going. Memories of the high scoring of the first half became buried in failed 4 down conversions and punts. Both teams had chances in enemy territory, but neither could capitalize.

7 minutes to go in the 3^rd, East defender Nick Sherman sustained a head injury from a hard but clean blindside hit. He became the 2^nd St. Charles player taken to the hospital. The 3^rd quarter came to a close with little more than a whimper from either offense.

The pattern of 3-and-outs continued for most of the 4^th quarter until the Geneva running game carried the Vikings into the red zone. A fumble recovered by St. Charles with 4:05 left in the game ended that threat. The defense stood tall, and a bad punt left with Vikings with just 30 yards between them and the touchdown necessary to complete the comeback.

Chambers found fellow senior Ryan Skibinski on a deep touchdown pass with 2:12 to go to take the lead 27-26. The crowd went crazy, and the bleachers attempting to constrain the students were visibly shaking. Taormina could not complete the 2 point conversion, but the damage was done. For the first time all night, Geneva had the lead.

The Saints offense valiantly tried to recover their lead, but it was all for naught. On 4^th and 9 with 1:33 left on the clock, a Zach Mitchell pass appeared to gain enough yardage for the first down. However, the spot came up short. The Viking offense returned to the field one last time and settled into victory formation.

The lights shone bright on Burgess Field as the Geneva Vikings wrapped up a thrilling homecoming victory. The Saints certainly put up a fight, but in the end, Viking stars Sean Chambers, Jack Wassel, and Ryan Skibinski were too much for the visitors to handle.