By Bobby Narang- Photos by Gary Larsen
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ALGONQUIN— Alexander Geiger is a fun player to watch.
A key starter for the 10U Algonquin Argos’ football team, Geiger is player with a bright future. He might not be the tallest, strongest or biggest player on the field, but Geiger is an eye-catching player for the Argos.
For opposing defenses, he often is an uncatchable player, especially in the open field. A tough-as-nails player with extraordinary speed, Geiger is speedy with elusive moves and is built strong and capable of absorbing contact.
The Lockport Porters discovered Geiger’s playmaking ability on Sunday afternoon. Geiger scored a running touchdown and added a receiving TD to spark the offense.
Even so, the Porters overcame several big plays by Geiger, scoring 12 points in the first quarter to set the tone with a dominating performance in a 31-12 win over the Argos.
The Argos battled until the very end, scoring 12 points in the second half to cause the visiting team to battle strong in the fourth quarter.
Geiger had the two biggest highlight plays for the Argos, but he received plenty of help from his teammates on both TD plays.
Down 19-0, Geiger ended a nine-play drive with an impressive 15-yard scoring run on a pitch to him deep in the backfield. He was almost tackled but had a stunning run to find the end zone. On the drive, Geiger also had a 20-yard run, a 12-yard scamper and David Roman II opened the possession with a five-yard reception.
“It was kind of weird because my coach switched me in the backfield from fullback which I was playing and I’m not really used to doing a few of the things,” Geiger said. “That felt weird, but I was able to pull it through and break some tackles.”
With the game out of reach at 31-6, the Argos saved their best play execution for late in the game. Taking over the ball at their own 11-yard line with 3:16 left in the game, Jason Frazier Jr. started the drive by taking a pitch and then stopping, getting his feet under him and tossing a long pass to Geiger.
Wide open by several feet, Geiger caught the pass and raced untouched along the sidelines for an 89-yard touchdown that instantly woke up the Argos’ fans, coaches and players.
“It was a super great pass and I had a lot of green in front of me,” Geiger said. “When I caught the ball, I kept looking behind me to see where everyone was, but no one was close to me. It was a fun play and a fun game. It was a tough loss.”
Frazier said he noticed Geiger open without a single defender within a few yards of him, so he just made sure to put a good touch on the pass.
“It was really fun to do that play and see that touchdown,” Frazier said. “I had a lot of fun on that play. I was happy he scored and the play worked after we practiced it.”
The entire sidelines erupted following the play, as several coaches talked about how well executed the play was and all the work that went into it during the last few weeks.
“It was a good play,” Coach David Larson said. “We’ve been practicing that play for a few weeks, so it was nice to see us get it off correctly in a game. We actually did the same play earlier in the game, but it wasn’t successful. It was executed perfectly and I loved seeing what we practice on the field come alive in games.
Larson said he wasn’t overly disappointed in the loss, mainly because of the second half comeback and the never-say-die attitude from the team.
“It was nice to see them continue to fight and keep going and put points on the board,” Larson said. “I think our team is really nice. They play hard and they’ve got a lot of heart in them. IF they keep going in football, I think a lot of them can go really far.”
Lockport was able to control the game because of its superior size on the offensive and defensive lines. Plus, the visiting team had a few playmakers with extraordinary skill, height and strength which proved to be too tough of a combination for the smaller Argos to handle.
Middle linebacker and fullback David Roman III said the visiting team was tough and strong.
“They had some very big players,” Roman said. “When number 88 would run the ball, they would stop and then attack, but he would have someone block and they would get a good run and just take off. I think my best play was my diving catch. It was a nice pass.”
Nose tackle Misael Robles said the Argos battled tough until the final whistle.
“They were huge,” Robles said. “It was pretty hard when playing nose tackle to get through the hole because their guy was big and strong and he kept holding me a lot. We fought tough and it was fun.”
The Argos did have a few noteworthy plays in the game aside from the two explosive TDs by Geiger. Austin Whiteman recovered an onside kick early in the game to help his team avoid falling further behind after the visiting team had just taken a 6-0 lead.
Frazier and Roman teamed up for a tackle on Lockport’s fifth possession in the second half. Later on the same drive, Geiger and Robles combined to end the drive on downs with pressure that disrupted the fourth down play. Jean-Carlo Valles had a solid tackle in the final minutes.
The Argos also received contributions from Bernick Benjamin, Jonathan Carranco Rodriguez, Isaiah Charo, Liam Messiah Eskridge, Dominic Forlini, Mason Gennell, Declan Larson, Dante Liang, Jaydian Loquercio, Nathan Sciepuk, Beckett St. Leger and Benjamin Villa.
