Team at a glance
NICKNAME Vikings
COLORS Royal Blue/White
STADIUM Burgess Field, 416 McKinley Ave., Geneva
ENROLLMENT 1,978
CLASS 7A
COACH Rob Wicinski (1990, 50-44)
2007 RECORD 11-1
CONFERENCE 7-0, 1st

TOP RETURNERS
Brandon Lee    sr.    WR
Jason Holmes    sr.    WR
Michael Ratay    sr.     RB
Drew Fagot    sr.     RB
Trey Hemming    sr.     RB
Brandon Johnson    sr.    RB
Bryce Biel    sr.    OL
Greg Gregory    sr.    OL
Anthony Miller    sr.    OL
John McNeil    sr.    OL
Harrison May    sr.    TE
Trevor Hyslop    sr.    LB
Cory Hofstetter    sr.    DE
Frank Boenzi    jr.    DL
Alex Olenek    sr.    DB
Joshua Brown    sr.    LB
Philip Birshbach    sr.    DB
Nick Weber    sr.    LB
Eric Kapfhamer    sr.    DB
Rich MacDonald    sr.    DL
Jordan Grimes    sr.    DL
Andrew Clausen    sr.    DL

2008 schedule
Aug. 29    at Dundee-Crown, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 5    St. Charles East, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 12    at Yorkville, 7 p.m.
Sept. 19    Glenbard South, 7:30 p.m.
Sept. 26    Sycamore, 7:30  p.m.
Oct. 3    at DeKalb, 7:30 p.m. at NIU
Oct. 10    at Rochelle, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 17    Kaneland, 7:30 p.m.
Oct. 24    Batavia, 7:30 p.m.

Games to watch
Sept. 12 vs. Yorkville Strong conference opponent will test the Vikings
Oct. 10 at Rochelle Hubs have many players returning from last year’s WSC runner-up
Oct. 24 vs. Batavia This classic rivalry is always a battle, and will be again

five-year record
       overall    conference    playoffs
’07    11-1           7-0          Quarter 
’06    11-2           6-1          Semi
’05    9-2             3-1          Quarter
’04    11-2           5-0          Semi
’03     5-4            2-3

Hey, hey, Ratay
It goes without saying that Geneva has a leg up on almost everyone with all-state running back Ratay.
The 5-foot-10, 210-pound senior rushed for 1,743 yards (nearly one mile on the pedometer) and scored 33 combined touchdowns (29 rushing, four receiving) last year, which was enough all by himself to make a season for most teams. The kicker? He did so while banged up with various nagging injuries in 2007. With that kind of performance, the Vikings have to hope Ratay stays healthy. There are a lot of eggs in that basket.
A healthy Ratay (the 2007 Republican Player of the Year) is almost a lock to again garner all-state honors from the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association.

Growth spurt
The Vikings’ road to another Western Sun Conference champions won’t be easy. Defending the crown usually isn’t, but it will be made even more difficult this year thanks to the growth of WSC schools.
Glenbard South has some of its highest numbers (and a host of returning starters), and Kaneland, Rochelle, Sycamore and Yorkville boast higher enrollments.
“Take a look at our conference,“ Wicinski said. “The schools are growing like crazy and the teams are getting better and better. I was lucky to come here during Geneva’s growth spurt, but now we have plenty of competition on our hands.”
Glenbard South and Rochelle pose challenges, and the clash with Batavia is always a blood-and-guts showdown.

Quarterback question
The 2008 Vikings are down a starting quarterback (Michael Mayszak graduated) and the starter role was still up for grabs entering the second week of practice.
“We lost a great quarterback, and I don’t know where we are with that,” Wicinski said. “We have two juniors in Eric Schmitt and Brandon Beitzel battling for the job, but it is a question mark. And the real unknown is our juniors. They were 9-0 as sophomores, and we’ll see if they’re ready to play varsity ball.”
No matter who wins the starting quarterback job, life will be a little easier with most of the offensive line returning.
“That’s true,” the coach said. “We’re solid in the trenches.”

Wideout worries
If Geneva has any real question marks other than at quarterback, it would be in the defensive secondary and wideout positions. In those two key skill positions, inexperience can play a big role.
Starters Joe Augustine and Michael Faught (receivers) and tight end Colin McCaffrey are gone, which could increase the Vikings’ reliance on Ratay. Jake Conforti and Kurt Smentek are among the departed defensive backs.
“It will be interesting,” Wicinski said. “You just don’t know what is going to happen until they get under the Friday night lights. Until then I’m in the dark. What I really want to do this year is win our last game. If we do that, you know everything worked out for the best.”

SENIOR SAYS
John McNeil
How realistic is a state title for the Vikings this season?
“We’ve come so close. I’d love to see us go all the way this season.”
What are your thoughts on this year’s team?
“Everyone worked extra hard this summer. There’s no reason we can’t win every game this season.”
Where is this team’s progress compared to the same point last year?
“Everyone is relaxed. Until they hit the practice field. Then it’s all work.”

By the numbers
21 Number on the back of Michael Ratay’s jersey, which opposing defenses can expect to see a lot of again this fall

2 Number of miles Geneva’s offense gained last year. With a plethora of returning players, a repeat performance isn’t out of the question

100 Number of career tackles defensive end Cory Hofstetter is likely to have before the season is a month old