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Kotecki's team heeds `Call of Duty' again today
Posted Online: Nov. 06, 2009, 10:02 pm
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By Steve Tappa, stappa@qconline.com
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Before football practice every day this fall, Aaron Kotecki and a cadre of Geneseo teammates have taken advantage of owning the final period off from school. Together they steal away to the home of a group member, to both blow off steam and build team chemistry while playing the war video game, "Call of Duty.'' "It's a great way to get ready for practice,'' Kotecki explained. "Either you go to practice feeling invincible or you're ticked off, ready to take out your frustrations on something.'' Either way today, the senior linebacker hopes that real-life object of his team's obsession is Kankakee McNamara. The fellow former state champs are hosting Geneseo for the second straight season for a second-round, Class 4A state playoff game. "The Green Machine'' pulled a 16-14 upset last season, and Kotecki and the Leafs are banking on those after-school sessions being the difference again. "We try and get everybody involved,'' Kotecki said about the simulator sessions with usual playing-partner Collin Akers, and other regulars such as Nick Rubino, Matt Lloyd, Josh Ward and Anthony Roome. "That's the great thing about this team. We do a lot of things together, whether it's go to the movies, go to dinner or breakfast or just hang out. I think that's why we've shared a lot of success together growing up. We care about each other, play for the guys around us and know we can depend on each other.'' Kotecki especially. The NCIC's defending 100-meter sprint champ owns 4.5 speed in football's 40-yard dash. That allows the 5-foot-10, 195-pounder to make plays roaming sideline-to-sideline, leading the Leafs in tackles, stops behind the line of scrimmage (10) and fumble recoveries (3). "He's a true competitor. He always wants to win at everything,'' said Geneseo coach Larry Johnsen Jr. "He sets a great example. He's always been the kind of kid who's first in line for a drill, always sitting in the front row for film session, always asking questions. And whatever deficiencies he sees in his game, like pass drops, he works very hard at to get better.'' Kotecki competes hard in the classroom, too, boasting a 4.0 grade-point average on a 4.0 scale. He's among the many Geneseo starters boasting a 3.5 or better GPA. "It's a pride thing,'' Kotecki said. "We compete in everything we do. So we really feed off one another. If one guy gets an A, you want to get an A, too. "We've always been a group that's asked for more, whether it be extra sprints after practice, or extra plays to get something right during it. We've just always wanted to be good in whatever we do.'' This season, Kotecki also has excelled at taking on the role of a senior leader and becoming more vocal on the field. "I've made sure to show my excitement to help keep guys pumped up,'' said Kotecki, who helped rally his team from a 16-0 deficit in last weekend's playoff opener with Plano. "Like after their second touchdown, I kept telling our guys, `We just need to get going!' And then Collin got us an interception, and momentum started turning our way.'' Kotecki helped things along, too, with a fumble recovery ending the first possession of the second half. Geneseo forced four turnovers on the day and has 27 in all this season. "We're a big-play defense,'' Kotecki said of a unit also boasting 17 sacks and 31 other tackles for loss. "We want to turn it over any way we can and get the ball back in our offense's hands.'' That long-time Geneseo recipe for success was employed as usual last year at McNamara, when the Leafs controlled the ball nearly the entire first half. "They're good offensively again. Their quarterback is very explosive. So we want to keep them off the field as much as we can,'' Kotecki said. "But having gone up there and beat them last year gives us a lot of confidence we can do it again.'' No matter what happens today, Kotecki is headed to college next fall to pursue a career as a dentist. If he chooses to play, he'll likely attend Augustana. If not, the dental school at Iowa calls. "He's not big enough to play in Division I, and he knows that. But he'll make some coach at the Division II or III level very happy if he decides to play in college,'' Johnsen said. "He's been just a treat to coach. All of these kids are because they are so self-motivated and really take care of their business.'' And heed that "Call of Duty.'' 
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