Mendota’s Ben Bokus tries to fight off the jersey tackle attempt of Genoa-Kingston’s Dylan Kribs on Oct. 20 at Genoa. (Reporter photo)

GENOA – Genoa-Kingston only ran six offensive plays against Mendota in the first quarter. So knowing that, you’d think the Trojans would be in pretty good shape after the first 12 minutes of the game.

But in those six plays, the Cogs scored three touchdowns while using up only two minutes and 49 seconds of the clock. Genoa-Kingston added three more TDs in the second period on its way to a 41-7 thrashing of Mendota in a Big Northern Conference contest on Oct. 20 at Genoa.

With the loss, the Trojans closed out the season at 1-8 overall and 1-7 in league play. It was the third straight campaign in which Mendota won only one of its nine games.

After Mendota tried an unsuccessful onside kick to open the game, Genoa-Kingston was in the end zone in just two plays. Payton Phillips did the honors for the Cogs when he sprinted in from 40 yards out with just one minute gone off the game clock. Alan Franson kicked the extra point.

Mendota’s first offensive possession resulted in a punt, and Genoa-Kingston started its second series of the contest at its own 27. Two running plays resulted in 10 yards, then Brett Marth capped off the drive when he bolted 63 yards to the end zone, followed by a Franson kick to make it 14-0.

The Trojans turned the ball over on downs on their ensuring series, and Genoa-Kingston took over at its own 41. On the first play from scrimmage, Phillips scored his second long touchdown of the quarter, this one a 59-yarder to paydirt. Franson’s successful extra-point kick put the Cogs up 21-0.

Genoa-Kingston put three more touchdowns on the board in the second stanza, getting one TD each from its offense, defense and special teams.

The Cogs went the aerial route to tally their first touchdown of the quarter when quarterback Griffin Hansen lofted a 17-yard TD pass to a wide open Jayson Szczepanski at the 5:18 mark of the period. Franson nailed the extra-point kick.

The Trojans were forced to punt again on their ensuing possession, and Genoa-Kingston’s Justin Peters took it back 50 yards for a score. Franson’s PAT kick was blocked.

Twenty-eight seconds later, the Cogs scored their final touchdown of the game when Kollin Fugate scooped up a Bryson Prusator fumble and ran into the end zone from 15 yards away. Franson split the uprights on the extra-point kick and Genoa-Kingston owned a 41-0 lead at intermission.

With that 40-plus difference in the score, the running clock was deployed throughout the second half. This was the third straight game and fourth of the season that a Trojan opponent has led by 40 or more in the second half.

Mendota scored its lone touchdown of the game after accepting the second-half kick. The Trojans went 80 yards in 17 plays, capped off by a 2-yard TD run by Kiandre Morris. Edwin Angulo added the extra-point kick.

Genoa-Kingston made a bid for another touchdown late in the game, but Mendota’s Gustavo Hernandez recovered a Cog fumble at the Trojan 8-yard line with 3:30 left.

Mendota finished with just 130 yards of offense. Angulo led the rushing game with 39 yards on 11 carries, while Prusator completed four of five passes for 41 yards. Ben Bokus caught one pass for 23 yards.

Genoa-Kingston gained 287 total yards, with 181 of them coming in the first quarter. Phillips carried six times for 116 yards to pace the Cogs, who ended the regular season at 7-2.