GENESEO, Ill. — A second-half surge wasn’t enough to pull Galesburg out of another hole Friday night. The Silver Streaks found the end zone three times after halftime, but Geneseo answered every drive and held on for a 38-20 win.

Familiar story at halftime

For Galesburg players, the halftime scoreboard felt too familiar. The Streaks trailed 17-0 and had yet to score, the Maple Leafs already celebrating a 62-yard touchdown run that set the tone early.

“There’s been a lot of times this season where our games have been lopsided, and when things aren’t going our way, we hang our heads a little bit—a pity party,” Streaks head coach Shawn Hickey said after the game. “And we talked to the kids this week about it. We harped on it, and in pregame we said, ‘You know, go out and play for each other.’”

Maple Leafs control the first half

“We talk about bend but don’t break, particularly against the triple-option team,” Hickey said. “It’s tough to defend. I thought we defended it, for the most part, pretty well, but then it was on the plays that we broke. We missed responsibilities, and they were able to get big plays.”

The first of those big plays came on the Maple Leafs’ first possession. Geneseo took over on its 12 after a Galesburg punt. A couple of first downs moved the ball to its own 38. Then running back Harrison Hill got outside the Streaks’ defense and ran 62 yards for a touchdown.

A second touchdown came on a sustained Geneseo drive in the second quarter. Taking possession on its 48-yard line, the Maple Leafs drove to the Galesburg 13. Quarterback Jason McAvoy ran up the middle while defenders were pushed back en masse, and McAvoy made it to the end zone for a 14-0 Geneseo lead.

Geneseo’s final score of the first half came on another time-consuming drive from its own 33 to Galesburg’s 15. There, the Streaks’ defense held on third down, and Carson Peters kicked a 28-yard field goal. The Maple Leafs closed the half with a 17-0 lead.

Second-half fight

“We did some great things in the second half,” Hickey said. “We still didn’t stop the run, but we saw a difference in our team in the second half where they didn’t give up; they had the fire, they had the fight, they continued to push.

“And that’s in a midseason game, when it’s been hot for four straight weeks and things aren’t always going your way. I felt like that was a great response by our guys in the second half to come out and play the way they did, to really show the coaches and the fans, the community of Galesburg, that they’re going to be fighting, they’re going to fight to the very last bell.”

On its first series of the second half, the Streaks showed the script might change. After recovering the kickoff, the offense drove 53 yards, which ended with Corey McGee carrying it in from the 1-yard line. That put Galesburg on the scoreboard, and after a missed two-point conversion, the Streaks were back in the game, 17-6.

Trading touchdowns

Geneseo didn’t waste much time to counter. On its next drive, the Maple Leafs took just over three minutes to drive 53 yards for a score. Mark Nelms ran the ball in from 5 yards out, and the extra point put Geneseo up 24-6.

The second half became a punching match with each team exchanging blows.

The Streaks scored their second touchdown with a mix of passes and runs. Two plays proved crucial. Grady Hickey and Bradley Eaton connected for a 30-yard gain. Four plays later, Kevin Phillips picked up a vital first down with an 18-yard run. McGee capped the drive with a 3-yard run for the touchdown.

The two-point conversion failed, and Galesburg trailed 24-12.

Geneseo came back with a six-play, two-minute drive ending with McAvoy rushing for a touchdown.

The Streaks made their final push to stay in the game with a 65-yard drive. A 21-yard pass from Hickey to Antwon Walker set the offense up inside Geneseo territory. Three plays later, a pass to Ayden Clark along with a penalty gave Galesburg first-and-goal. Eaton finished the drive with a 3-yard run. Galesburg added the two-point conversion, making the score 31-20.

A touchdown by Kye Weinzierl completed the scoring with less than two minutes remaining.

Looking ahead

Coach Hickey said he hopes the second-half effort carries into next week’s trip to Quincy on Oct. 10.

“The fact that we went out and worked hard for each other, and we didn’t give up,” he said. “Quincy is going to be a different team. They spread the ball a little bit more. They’re going to throw the ball around.”

All photos by Loran Lewis/Galesburg Community News