NORMAL — Finnegan Weppner and Co. have lived on a fast track all season, but even Geneva’s standout receiver group had to pause Saturday afternoon to get their bearings.
That’s what an opponent with speed to burn can do to you.
When that team also comes into the game supersized as well — like East St. Louis most certainly did at Hancock Stadium — the challenge grows even more formidable.
“It’s frustrating because we’re usually a team that starts hot,” said Weppner, a 6-foot-1, 180-pound senior. “We like getting in all-wheel drive and getting going.”
The Vikings spun their wheels on offense early but then got untracked, fighting back from a 21-0 deficit to get within six in a 48-28 loss to the Flyers in the Class 6A state championship game.
Weppner ended up with six catches for 111 yards and a touchdown to lead Geneva (12-2). It pushed him past the 1,000-yard mark for the season to 1,037. Georgia recruit Talyn Taylor, also a senior, added eight catches for 116 yards and a TD despite facing double coverage all day.
Senior quarterback Tony Chahino completed 20 of 39 passes for 323 yards and three TDs, while senior running back Michael Rumoro caught three passes for 28 yards and a TD and also gained 35 yards on eight carries.
For Weppner, the cold weather didn’t matter while igniting a rally.
“I could feel the (adrenaline) surging through my arms,” Weppner said. “We started slow, but we talked and told ourselves there’s a reason we were here, and we finally picked it up.
“We finally got on track and put up 28 points, which is pretty impressive against a team like that.”
It’s the most points the Flyers, who rolled up a 548-346 edge in yards, gave up all season.
The previous high for East St. Louis (13-1) came in the second week of the season during a 28-21 win over a team from Covington, Georgia. The Flyers played teams from four states this season.
Defensively, senior linebacker Troy Velez paced Geneva with 10 tackles, including three for loss and a sack, while junior safety Dylan Reyes and senior lineman Joe Pettit picked up interceptions.
“They’re a fantastic team with weapons all over the field,” Geneva coach Boone Thorgesen said. “Their defensive line is big and fast and the entire defense is very fast.
“I’m proud of our kids for fighting back to make it a six-point game against a team that also has a win over a team (Loyola) that could very likely win the Class 8A title.”
It was the third trip to the state finals and third runner-up finish for Geneva, which took second in 1975 and 2008. It was the 11th state title for East St. Louis and fifth under coach Darren Sunkett.
After Geneva didn’t capitalize on its first three drives, Weppner provided a boost with back-to-back catches of 28 and 26 yards and then drew a pass interference penalty on a 79-yard drive.
Chahino capped things off with a 7-yard TD pass to Taylor in the corner of the end zone. It was the first of three TD passes, which included a 10-yard screen pass to Rumoro and a sweet strike on the fly while scrambling under heavy pressure that covered 28 yards to Weppner.
“Everybody on East St. Louis was fast,” said Taylor, who finished off his final high school season with an exemplary 84 catches for 1,617 yards. “We had to get the ball out quick.”
Taylor often was lined up opposite Missouri-bound senior cornerback Charles Bass.
“He was just another kid going out there to play, just like me,” Taylor said of Bass, a fellow SEC recruit. “We all do the same thing, get ready and go play another kid in another game.”
It’s onto the next game for Weppner, who has an offer from Bemidji State and has talked with several MAC schools.
“I want to play ball in college and I wanted a test,” Weppner said. “I’ve played some good defensive backs, but this is the first time I’ve been up against a kid who knows what he’s doing every play, is very disciplined and has been coached well.
“I just made a point to go out there, focus on myself and do my job as one of the 11.”
