Kane County notes: Geneva’s Tony Chahino, a former linebacker, shines in first game at quarterback

Tony Chahino had been waiting for Friday night’s game against Larkin more than anyone else on Geneva.

While mainly being a quarterback, the senior hadn’t been used as such in his first two years up at the starting level. His sophomore year, he was a full-on back up for then starter Nate Stempowski. Last season, head coach Boone Thorgesen put him onto the field to play as a linebacker and a fullback so he could get playing time.

But with Stempowski graduated and Chahino now a senior, Chahino entered Week 1 of the 2024 season with a title that he’s been waiting for: QB1.

“It’s been amazing,” Chahino said. “I’ve had a long journey since coming up to varsity. I’ve had my ups and downs. But this was my first ever time starting, so it feels really great.”

And in his first game, he made sure to make a statement. In his lone quarter of play, Chahino finished 6 of 7 on passes, throwing for 164 yards and four touchdowns in Geneva’s 63-0 victory over the Royals.

“Tony’s an extremely talented passer who’s worked really hard this offseason. He’s waited his time, and his time has come,” Thorgesen said. “Very happy for him to come out and perform the way he did. You’re going to see some good games from him this year.”

Part of Chahino’s success came from a pair of talented senior wide outs in Georgia commit Talyn Taylor and Finnegan Weppner. The two of them had been playing with Chahino since before coming to high school, making the quarterback-receiver connection an easy one to find.

“We’re hoping those connections last,” Thorgesen said. “They put in a lot of good work this offseason to establish it and it showed there in that first quarter.

Batavia’s defense holds firm in season opener over Glenbard West

The defense that coordinator Matt Holm calls the “no-name defense” made sure that it could be recognized by the end of the first week.

Batavia finished its Week 1 matchup with some big defensive numbers, including six tackles for loss, four fumbles, an interception, a touchdown and five sacks, including three times in the final two possessions to secure a 35-28 victory over Glenbard West.

Leading the charge for most of the game was senior defensive back Chase Osborne, who had the team’s lone interception of the game, forced a fumble, and led the team with 17 total tackles, three of them for a loss.

Before the game started, Osborne knew that while he had a role to play for the potential pass, he was also needed to stop the run.

“Our main focus as the defensive backs is to have our eyes right every single play and be ready for the pass,” Osborne said back on August 28. “But also, we have to come up and stop the run.”

That disruptiveness proved to be vital for the Bulldogs’ success, especially against a player like Teyion Oriental, who only managed 2.94 yards a carry (19 for 56) on Saturday.

The outside pressure also proved to help out for guys on the defensive line like Jake Feller and Xavier Blanquel. Both finished the game with two sacks, and Blanquel had a scoop-and-score in the second quarter. He also had the key fourth-down stop on Glenbard West’s second-to-last possession of the game.

“That definitely put us in a big spot,” Blanquel said. “I don’t even remember the play. I just remember being put on top of him [Oriental], celebrating with my teammates.”

With a team like South Elgin, who is much more reliant on the pass compared to the Hilltoppers, coming up in their Week 2 matchup, the Bulldogs’ defense will most likely get a chance to show what they can do through the air come Friday.

St. Charles North comes back again against Palatine

When asked about what would be needed to help the North Stars win a state championship on the first day of official practices back on August 12, Ethan Plumb referred to the girls soccer team’s loss in the state title match in penalty kicks against New Trier.

“At that point, it’s like ‘How do you prepare everything before that?’” the senior quarterback said. “Sometimes it comes down to those last-second things like a last-minute throw or run in football, you just never know. So as long as you prepare for that before the season comes, we’re going to be ready for when that moment comes that we’re going to get it done when the game’s on the line.”

Eighteen days later, Plumb had a chance to put his money where his mouth is. And it’s safe to say, he did just that.

With the game in the final two minutes and the ball placed at their own 1-yard line, Plumb marched the North Stars 99 yards down the field before finding wide receiver Keaton Reinke for a touchdown, while also converting a 2-point conversion to secure a 28-27 victory over Palatine.

“It’s the stuff we do on a daily basis that when a moment comes like that, the team finds a way to get it done,” Plumb said. “It’s a team game. We had catches left and right and the defense had to get a stop there for us to even have a chance to score that TD.”

It’s not the first time that the North Stars have pulled off a stunt like that against the Pirates. In the first game of the 2023 season, Plumb led North on a 69-yard drive in the final five minutes of play before finding Reinke for the game-winning touchdown in a 37-34 victory.

Despite loss, St. Charles East offense shows plenty of promise

St. Charles East hasn’t been known as a team with a high-flying offense over the past couple of years.

But after their Week 1 performance against a Lincoln-Way Central team that went 9-2 a season ago? They might have put some teams on notice.

The Saints put up 40 points in a game for the first time since Week 9 of the 2018 season against Lake Park, but still fell short of the win in a 56-40 shootout loss to the Knights.

Despite being on the short end of the stick, the Saints put up a valiant effort in their first game with quarterback JT Padron under center. The junior passed for 342 yards, completing 20-of-34 attempts with five resulting in touchdowns, which was the most for quarterbacks across the DuKane conference.

Part of that success also got passed to the wide receivers. Sheko Gjokaj caught nine of the attempts for 165 yards and found the end zone twice, while Peter VanLue had three receptions for 83 yards and also scored twice.

With the offense needing four and three games to reach the 40-point mark in their first two seasons under head coach Nolan Possley, only time will tell if the game truly marks the beginning of a new era for the Saints offense.

“Offensively, I loved how explosive we were,” Possley said. ”And for them, I was impressed with how they continuously move the ball.”