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GENOA – For the past two years, Genoa-Kingston has owned one of the top defenses in the Big Northern Conference, allowing more than 20 points only four times over 23 games.
Although this year’s squad has a new look – only four defensive starters return – the expectations for the Cogs haven’t really changed.
“I know we don’t have a lot of returning starters, but it’s not really important,” linebacker and running back Brady Brewick said. “I think just the work ethic and stuff is making us look good, in my opinion, right now.”
The Cogs, who also only return three offensive starters, finished last year 8-3 and won a playoff game for the sixth straight postseason.
Coach Cam Davekos, in his third year at the helm of the Cogs, said even with only eight seniors on the roster this year, the players are stepping up and hoping to keep up their success.
“I know we don’t have a lot of returning starters but it’s not really important. I think just the work ethic and stuff is making us look good in my opinion right now.”
— Brady Brewick, Genoa-Kingston football
“They feel some pressure on their shoulders, definitely, because that senior class last year was so big and pretty talented,” Davekos said. “But they know that. They know where our goals are, so they’re just taking it one day at a time. They’re doing a nice job, and they’re just putting in 100% effort every rep. And that’s all we can ask for them to do.”
Defensive end Xander Gleissner said the team is focused on continuing the recent success of the program.
“To me, it means like we’re going to build off of that mentality that the last group set, the refuse-to-lose mentality,” Gleissner said. “We’re going to keep just pushing, driving as hard as we can to try to maintain that level of expertise that they brought last year.”
Davekos said there were only 22 varsity players out early in camp. While he said those numbers may trickle up, the team is making do with the lower-than-usual turnout.
He said the team and the coaching staff are dealing with the hand they were dealt, and the biggest problem is potential depth issues.
“It’s just the preventative stuff that’s the unknown,” Davekos said. “Like eligibility coming up with school and God forbid some freak injuries happen. So those are the things that are kind of in the back of our minds.”
The smaller roster and large number of nonseniors put an increased importance on a yearly tradition for the Cogs. They usually spend the first couple of days of fall camp at Walcamp Outdoor Ministry in Kingston.
This year was no different, and the bonding experience of the camp was valuable.
“I think it was definitely more important this year,” Brewick said. “I think Walcamp this year was amazing. I think everybody on the team grew a lot closer, and we got a lot more comfortable, a lot more friendly with each other. I think it was great team bonding as well as practices. They were intense. We were eager to learn. So I think Walcamp was great this year.”
The Cogs started going to Walcamp in 2017. They made a quarterfinal run the year before but lost a lot of seniors off that group. The 2017 group ended up 8-3.
Davekos said this year’s trip to Walcamp was very successful.
“We had a practice out at that camp retreat, and the kids enjoyed it,” Davekos said. “We hung out, talked about a whole bunch of different schemes, and the kids learned a lot. Our practices were wonderful out there. ... The kids look forward to it every single year, and this year did not disappoint. The weather was great. Kids were hustling. I couldn’t have asked for anything better for the first two days.”
Genoa-Kingston at a glance
Last year: 8-3, lost to Princeton in the second round of the Class 3A playoffs.
Keep an eye on: Brady Brewick, sr., RB/LB; Tristan Swenson, sr., LB; Dakota Allen, sr., DT; Xander Gleissner, sr., DE; Hayden Hodgson, jr., TE/LB/DE; Patrick Young, jr., wing/DB; Payton Meyer, jr., TB; John Swinheart, soph., TE/LB
Worth noting: The Cogs have only eight seniors on the roster and 22 players on the varsity squad. Still, coach Cam Davekos thinks the team can continue its run of success and qualify for an eighth straight postseason. Brewick was a punishing back last year, and he’ll be joined by Peyton Meyer and Patrick Young in the run-heavy G-K wing-T offense.