Geisel rambles for 214 yards, 4 TDs in victory
Mapletown alone in first after stomping California, 36-28 CALIFORNIA – Wes Loring. Randy Pritchard. Shane Elli.
Those are the names opposing coaches must first contend with before they even think about stopping Mapletown’s workhouse running back Ryan Geisel.
The Maples found a sweet spot early between the tackles, and milked it to the tune of 334 punishing rushing yards to power their way over California, 36-28, in a battle for supremacy in Class A Tri-County South football action Friday night.
With the win Mapletown (4-0, 5-1) sits alone atop the conference.
Geisel scored four touchdowns, giving him 16 for the season, and ran for 214 yards, but deflected the credit as deftly as he did the Trojans’ defenders.
“Our line’s one of the best in the conference,” said Geisel, who scored on runs of 37, 32, 3 and 56 yards. “I give all the credit to them. They open the holes, I just hit the seams.”
“Once you start, the momentum just builds,” said Loring, a junior offensive lineman.
One week after the offense sputtered for three quarters against Carmichaels, the Maples responded with their best effort of the season, according coach George Messich.
“Tonight we came off the football better than we have all year,” said Messich, a starting offensive lineman on Pitt’s 1976 championship team. “And that’s the way you should play in a big game.”
Behind Loring, Pritchard and Elli, Mapletown scored on its first three possessions, running the ball 22 times in succession until quarterback Jon Caldwell found Nick Popernack for a seven-yard TD pass that made it 20-0 after a successful two-point conversion.
The show of force took Cal by surprise.
“That surprised me,” said Cal coach Joe Kuhns. “Our defense was back on its heels. We usually attack better. They are bigger and stronger than us up front, but we usually counter that with our quickness.”
By that point the Trojans had come away empty from a first-and-goal situation, and had another drive thwarted by Loring, who tipped and intercepted a pass from Cal’s talented sophomore sensation Donte Valentino in the second quarter. “It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” said the 5-9, 225-pound Loring.
“We’re super young, and I think we were a little wide-eyed at the beginning,” said Kuhns, who has only two seniors on his roster. “This is the first big game they’ve played in.”
Although Mapletown led throughout, California clawed its way back to within striking distance by the game’s end.
Relying largely on his improvisational skills, Valentino rushed for 133 yards two touchdowns on 20 carries, and passed for 118 yards and another touchdown, while being intercepted twice. Chris McVicker was his favorite target, catching four passes for 87 yards, including a 48-yard TD.
“That’s the biggest worry in every defensive player’s mind – a running quarterback who can throw,” said Geisel, a linebacker on defense.
Still, falling behind early forced Cal to shift its game plan.
“We really don’t want to resort to throwing the ball up every time,” said Kuhns. “We’d rather run the ball.”
Mapletown can appreciate that sentiment. Caldwell finished with 52 yards on 12 carries, while Popernack tallied 49 yards on just four totes.