Genoa-Kingston airs it out, but comeback attempt falls short

STILLMAN VALLEY – The Genoa-Kingston Cogs unleashed an aerial attack to fight their way back against the Stillman Valley Cardinals, but their attempt at a comeback fell short.

The Cogs rallied in the fourth quarter with big plays from tight end Hayden Hodgson, but lost 20-12.

Hodgson ran wild in the fourth quarter with five catches for 102 yards and two touchdowns in the final quarter. He finished with seven catches for 134 yards and the two scores, all in the second half.

With the Cogs down 20-0, quarterback Nathan Kleba uncorked a 35-yard bomb to Dakota Dynek to set the Cogs up at the 5-yard line.

“We were trying to take advantage of some things we saw on film that didn’t match up,” Cogs coach Cameron Davekos said. “Our playmakers made plays, but we can’t be throwing like that behind the eight ball.”

Kleba hit Hodgson on the next play to put the Cogs on the board 20-6 with six minutes left in the game.

The Cogs (3-4, 3-4 Big Northern) defense forced their first three-and-out against the Cardinals (4-3,4-3) on the next possession.

Hodgson hit pay dirt again on a 41-yard heave by Kleba to make it a one-score game with less than the minutes left to play.

“It’s not much better than that,” Hodgson said. “The run game wasn’t working in the first half, so we switched it up in the second half.”

The Cogs again forced a three-and-out to give them the ball with 1:30 seconds left in the game. However, they couldn’t complete a pass on their final possession, and the Cardinals knelt twice to end the game.

The Cardinals’ rushing attack was led by running back Braden Rogers, who ran for 142 yards on 26 carries and two scores. That rushing attack controlled the game through the first three quarters.

After scoring once in the first half, Rogers broke off a 48-yard touchdown run in the opening minute of the fourth quarter for the winning score.

“I was feeling it all game,” Rogers said. “It was there. I was getting hit backside and then it finally opened up. It was a good score. It was awesome.”

The Cardinals scored twice in the first quarter. The first came on a goal line dive on their first possession of the game to cap off an 11-play drive.

Their second first-half score came on a 5-yard Rogers run that was set up by an interception by Keaton Rauman.