Season recap: Genoa-Kingston
By Len Eisele
Genoa-Kingston enjoyed a historic run that stretched all the way to the Class A sectional final round.
The Cogs finished with a 21-2-0 record to surpass the school’s 2013 state fourth place team (17-8-1) for the most victories in a season. It lowered the previous mark for losses in a season by the the 2008 team by four.
With the multiple team and individual records came an additional satisfaction for the Class of 2022. They defeated a host of regular foes who they hadn't previously beaten in their prep careers.
The main theme of the campaign was offense -- the Cogs juggernaut scored 150 goals. The defense allowed 23.
Senior forward Eagan Reams and junior forward Jorge Leon led the high-powered attack. The dynamic one-two tandem was prolific.
Reams led the offensive explosion with 49 goals and 24 assists. He averaged more than two goals and an assist per game. Reams topped the career 100-goal mark midway through the season and finished his prep career as the school’s all-time leader in goals.
Leon wasn’t far behind with 44 goals and 18 assists. He joined his teammate above the 100-goal mark late in the year.
The offensive attack started in the midfield with senior midfielder Aiden Tomlinson, who returned to action this fall after being sidelined with an injury in the spting. Defenses tried to stop his distribution to the forwards but often came up lacking. He finished with 19 assists and five goals.
With the offense getting all the attention, the defense quietly toiled under the radar but set some records of its own. Senior defender Ben Younker and the backline stonewalled attackers from getting into scoring spaces. That led to a school-record 13 shutouts on the season.
Younker was regularly heard directing the team to keep its shape and to stay true to the defensive scheme.
Younker and Reams served as the captains of the team.
The Cogs averaged more than six goals a game while giving up only one.
Genoa-Kingston won its first regional title since 2013 with a 5-1 victory over conference rival Rockford Christian. Earlier the Cogs won the teams' conference matchup 7-1. That win clinched the Big Northern title.
The Cogs also avenged their 1-0 loss to Dixon last spring in the conference championship game. Genoa-Kingston travelled to Dixon on Sept. 14 and defeated the Dukes without any drama, winning 5-0.
This was also the first time the Cogs seniors topped the Dukes in their high school careers.
The Rockford Christian and Dixon victories were part of the Cogs undefeated run in Big Northern Conference play. They scored almost seven goals a game and surrendered just four goals in the seven games with three clean-sheets.
Genoa-Kingston’s nonconference schedule also included some signature wins for the program.
The Cogs cruised to victory against Indian Creek 9-0 in a grudge match that went back two years.
The Timberwolves defeated the Cogs for the regional title two years ago, and they played to a 5-5 tie last spring in a game that was filled with yellow and red cards.
Genoa-Kingston also easily dispatched Westminster 6-1 in its final tune-up before the postseason. The Warriors were a top team in Class A and narrowly lost in their regional final to Marian Central, which the Cogs took down 5-2 in the sectional semifinal.
The Cogs only two losses came in a 5-3 regular-season nonconference clash against Class AA Belvidere on Sept. 1 and eventual Class A state champion Wheaton Academy 6-0 in the Hinckley-Big Rock Sectional final on Oct. 23.
“It kind of makes sense,” Reams said. “We wanted to go to state and be state champions, but we lost to a good team. To lose to a state champion, it makes sense to us.”
Leon and Younker also had another postseason run as the kickers for the Cogs football team, which saw its run end in the Class 4A quarterfinals.
Throughout the fall, Leon and Younker practiced and played for the soccer team and then kicked for the football team on Friday nights.
“It’s hard being a kicker, and it’s also hard playing on the field,” Leon said. “I remember I’d play (football) on Friday then have a (soccer game) on Saturday, and Sunday I’d be dead. I just had to get used to it and just push through it. That was my own thing, just keep moving.”
Genoa-Kingston soccer built a season for the ages and one that will rank alongside the program’s fourth place finishers.
The experience has left the returning players hungry for more.
“I just want to work in the offseason and get back and prove that we’re capable of doing the same thing that we did this year,” Leon said. “I just want to make history again like we did this year.”
By Len Eisele
Genoa-Kingston enjoyed a historic run that stretched all the way to the Class A sectional final round.
The Cogs finished with a 21-2-0 record to surpass the school’s 2013 state fourth place team (17-8-1) for the most victories in a season. It lowered the previous mark for losses in a season by the the 2008 team by four.
With the multiple team and individual records came an additional satisfaction for the Class of 2022. They defeated a host of regular foes who they hadn't previously beaten in their prep careers.
The main theme of the campaign was offense -- the Cogs juggernaut scored 150 goals. The defense allowed 23.
Senior forward Eagan Reams and junior forward Jorge Leon led the high-powered attack. The dynamic one-two tandem was prolific.
Reams led the offensive explosion with 49 goals and 24 assists. He averaged more than two goals and an assist per game. Reams topped the career 100-goal mark midway through the season and finished his prep career as the school’s all-time leader in goals.
Leon wasn’t far behind with 44 goals and 18 assists. He joined his teammate above the 100-goal mark late in the year.
The offensive attack started in the midfield with senior midfielder Aiden Tomlinson, who returned to action this fall after being sidelined with an injury in the spting. Defenses tried to stop his distribution to the forwards but often came up lacking. He finished with 19 assists and five goals.
With the offense getting all the attention, the defense quietly toiled under the radar but set some records of its own. Senior defender Ben Younker and the backline stonewalled attackers from getting into scoring spaces. That led to a school-record 13 shutouts on the season.
Younker was regularly heard directing the team to keep its shape and to stay true to the defensive scheme.
Younker and Reams served as the captains of the team.
The Cogs averaged more than six goals a game while giving up only one.
Genoa-Kingston won its first regional title since 2013 with a 5-1 victory over conference rival Rockford Christian. Earlier the Cogs won the teams' conference matchup 7-1. That win clinched the Big Northern title.
The Cogs also avenged their 1-0 loss to Dixon last spring in the conference championship game. Genoa-Kingston travelled to Dixon on Sept. 14 and defeated the Dukes without any drama, winning 5-0.
This was also the first time the Cogs seniors topped the Dukes in their high school careers.
The Rockford Christian and Dixon victories were part of the Cogs undefeated run in Big Northern Conference play. They scored almost seven goals a game and surrendered just four goals in the seven games with three clean-sheets.
Genoa-Kingston’s nonconference schedule also included some signature wins for the program.
The Cogs cruised to victory against Indian Creek 9-0 in a grudge match that went back two years.
The Timberwolves defeated the Cogs for the regional title two years ago, and they played to a 5-5 tie last spring in a game that was filled with yellow and red cards.
Genoa-Kingston also easily dispatched Westminster 6-1 in its final tune-up before the postseason. The Warriors were a top team in Class A and narrowly lost in their regional final to Marian Central, which the Cogs took down 5-2 in the sectional semifinal.
The Cogs only two losses came in a 5-3 regular-season nonconference clash against Class AA Belvidere on Sept. 1 and eventual Class A state champion Wheaton Academy 6-0 in the Hinckley-Big Rock Sectional final on Oct. 23.
“It kind of makes sense,” Reams said. “We wanted to go to state and be state champions, but we lost to a good team. To lose to a state champion, it makes sense to us.”
Leon and Younker also had another postseason run as the kickers for the Cogs football team, which saw its run end in the Class 4A quarterfinals.
Throughout the fall, Leon and Younker practiced and played for the soccer team and then kicked for the football team on Friday nights.
“It’s hard being a kicker, and it’s also hard playing on the field,” Leon said. “I remember I’d play (football) on Friday then have a (soccer game) on Saturday, and Sunday I’d be dead. I just had to get used to it and just push through it. That was my own thing, just keep moving.”
Genoa-Kingston soccer built a season for the ages and one that will rank alongside the program’s fourth place finishers.
The experience has left the returning players hungry for more.
“I just want to work in the offseason and get back and prove that we’re capable of doing the same thing that we did this year,” Leon said. “I just want to make history again like we did this year.”