The rash of turnovers and ugly Week 1 result against Oswego on Friday night was bad enough for the Geneva football team. The Vikings' health outlook could make the road ahead even more daunting.
Geneva is banged up along the defensive line, a major concern for coach Rob Wicinski.
Senior Nathan Balettie, a 6-foot-2, 255-pound defensive lineman, missed Friday's 47-21 loss to the Panthers with a concussion. Then, during the course of the game, defensive linemen Jake Boser, Ford Dickinson and Doug Davis all were sidelined with various injuries.
It was too early in the immediate aftermath of the game to know what the outlooks were, but Dickinson had a substantial limp as he left the field after the game.
"We came in kind of banged up so with the depth, yeah, it's a concern," Wicinski said. "NFL teams can't handle injuries, let alone a high school team handling injuries. You've seen many a season blow up. ... We're really in a tenuous situation. That's why my [assistant] coaches get the big bucks, to make this thing happen."
Geneva has two difficult road assignments the next two weeks at Wheaton North and Batavia. Despite the rocky debut, Wicinski thinks the Vikings have the chance to make significant strides as varsity newcomers and returnees with minimal experience gain seasoning.
"There's pieces there," Wicinski said. "It's a growing process."
