Coming into his senior season, Geneva receiver Talyn Taylor had a list of things he wanted to accomplish before heading to Georgia.
Some were personal statistics, some were based on national recognition, and some were based on team goals.
“My list was to get over 1,000 receiving yards, have over 20 touchdowns and be a five-star (recruit),” Taylor said. “That was my bucket list. I’ve completed most of those things.
“But I know the job isn’t finished yet.”
Indeed, Taylor has accomplished his individual goals. Now, it’s about winning a state title.
The Vikings produced an impressive start Saturday, opening the Class 6A playoffs with a 49-7 victory over Amundsen. And Taylor was in the middle of everything from the first play of the game.
He grabbed a 29-yard pass and kept it rolling to the tune of seven catches for 121 yards and three touchdowns, all in the first half. That pushes Taylor’s season numbers to 51 catches for 1,098 yards and 20 TDs. He was elevated to a five-star recruit this week by 247Sports.com.
Tony Chahino also put up a blistering first half for Geneva (10-1). He completed 13 of 16 passes for 275 yards and five TDs. His scoring passes to Taylor were from 17, 22 and 8 yards. He mixed in a 63-yard TD pass to Finnegan Weppner and a 49-yard TD pass to Bennett Konkey.
Michael Rumoro added 50 yards rushing and a 3-yard TD run.
Geneva coach Boone Thorgesen had a simple plan heading into the playoff opener. Of course it involved Taylor, who was named a Navy All-American last week and rocketed up to the 29th best recruit in the nation according to 247Sports.
“Any time he touches the ball, it’s electric,” Thorgesen said. “You get in the playoffs, you want to give your best players a chance to make plays. We have to feed him and see what he can do.
“I’m very proud of him. He had a great game.”
It’s what Chahino said has been in motion since he met Taylor in sixth grade.
“Ever since then, we’ve been grinding, going to the field every day, working for this moment right here,” Chahino said. “We built that connection for this moment.”
Obviously, Taylor has a lot of football ahead of him, but before he gets to that chapter of his career, he wants to cement his legacy at Geneva. This was another step in that direction.
“You want to win, but you also want to have fun,” Taylor said. “In practice, we just have to dial in like we’ve been doing. Us seniors, we don’t have a guaranteed next week. It could be our last high school game ever.
“You never know. You have to treat it like your last game, because it is.”
Saturday’s win was also another example of how he elevates all the teammates in his orbit.
Chahino, a first-year starter, has visions of playing in college, and playing with Taylor will likely get him there. Playing alongside Taylor also has benefited both Konkey and Weppner.
“That’s been brought up to me many times,” Taylor said. “A lot of defenses try to focus on me, and it just opens up everybody else. It’s a big compliment to me. They’re doing what they need to do to stop me, but it’s also a big compliment to my teammates that it gets them open to make plays.
“They’re playmakers just like me.”
Thorgesen is trying to savor every moment he has left with Taylor while also keeping the focus on the ultimate goal.
“He does things that make you go ‘wow’ on a weekly basis,” Thorgesen said. “For him to keep doing that means he’s a pretty special player.
“The whole nation is really getting caught up on him because he is that good.”
Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
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