After a mostly ho-hum first 47 minutes, Friday night’s first-round playoff matchup between Geneseo and Rochelle became an instant classic between two longtime rivals after an improbable finish.

Geneseo junior Carson Peters kicked a 36-yard field goal as time expired to send the Maple Leafs to a 16-14 win at Bob Reade Field. It was their first lead of the game.

The sixth-seeded Leafs (8-2) advance to face the winner of No. 3 Macomb and No. 14 Hillcrest in the Class 4A bracket. The 11th-seeded Hubs finished 6-4 as Geneseo avenged a 41-14 loss in Week 1.

Rochelle was 47 seconds away from winning the game after denying Geneseo’s two-point run after Kye Weinzierl caught a 24-yard touchdown pass from Jackson McAvoy.

It all came down to recovering an onside kick.

Peters’ kick got the right

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