After having a day to remember, Geneva senior Rocco DiLeonardi decided to make a week of it. And the best might still be yet to come, although it’s hard to top a touchdown.

Last Sunday, the 6-foot-2, 220-pound defensive end announced his commitment to play Division I football at St. Thomas. He followed it up by scoring his first varsity TD.

“We’ll never hear the end of it,” Vikings coach Boone Thorgesen said, breaking into a wide smile as he thought about his team’s outgoing co-captain. “Rocco has meant a lot to our program and meant a lot to a young coach like me, leading the way for his teammates.

“He’s like a coach himself out there. We’re gonna miss him next season, but hopefully we can have him for a few more weeks.”

Especially if those weeks are like Friday night as Geneva’s defense limited host Lake Forest to 91 yards in the first half of a 42-7 rout in a Class 6A second-round playoff game.

The Vikings (9-2) brought on the running clock midway through the third quarter, moving on to the state quarterfinals against either Cary Grove (8-2) or Highland Park (7-3).

The stage was set for advancement Friday after DiLeonardi’s TD gave Geneva a 42-0 lead on his scoop and 20-yard return of a punt blocked by junior nose guard Joseph Pettit.

“I can’t complain,” DiLeonardi said. “I’ve been lobbying since sophomore year to play some offense. I get in there every once in a while to do a little blocking. As long as I can get in on both sides of the ball a little bit, that’s all I want.

“That’s the first touchdown of my varsity career, and it came thanks to Joe Pettit.”

Geneva had turned to its amphibious offense, directed by the nimble footwork and accurate passing of senior quarterback Nate Stempowski, during a game played in a steady mist.

Senior linebacker Tommy Diamond blocked and recovered a punt on the previous possession against Lake Forest (6-4). It set up a 26-yard screen pass for a TD from Stempowski to junior running back Troy Velez.

Late in the first quarter, DiLeonardi entered the backfield on fourth-and-1 at the Lake Forest 27 and followed a handoff to Velez with a push that made sure the Vikings converted a first down.

“It was a great performance by our defense,” Diamond said. “The group, as a whole, is pretty senior heavy. We all bond well and are close friends.

“I felt like we did a great job of preparing. It kind of felt like we knew what was coming. When that happens, it makes it so much easier.”

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The shifty 5-10, 170-pound Stempowski, who leads the team in rushing, continued his magic. He had 11 carries for a game-high 149 yards, including a 58-yarder to set up a 1-yard TD run by Velez.

Junior running back Michael Rumoro added 47 yards and a 9-yard TD. Stempowski completed 7 of 9 passes for 88 yards, including an 11-yard TD to senior tight end Michael Loberg.

“Stempowski is a stud,” Thorgesen said. “We really rally around him when he plays well, and he’s played well the last 4-5 weeks. You can see the results. He’s so dangerous with his feet.”

DiLeonardi, who has a 4.11 GPA, isn’t bad, either, entering the game with 37 tackles including five for loss and three sacks.

At St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota, he will join a team that in 2021 became the first NCAA Division III program in the modern era to transition straight to Division I.

“I’ve visited several times and think it’s the right place,” DiLeonardi said. “I like the culture, the facilities, and coach (Glenn) Caruso reminds me a lot of my Italian side of the family.

“I felt like part of the family.”

Originally Published: Nov 04, 2023 at 12:54 am