In 1965, legendary English rock band The Who unleashed upon the world a track known as “The Kids Are Alright” off of their seminal, masterpiece album “My Generation”…which instantaneously became an anthem for youth.

Forty-five years later, it’s probably safe to say that senior fullback and linebacker Seth Dufendock, junior kicker Tyler Pickard, and the rest of the back-to-back-to-back Suburban Lakes League-champion Genoa football Comets have never even heard of the likes of Pete Townshend, Roger Daltrey, Keith Moon, and John Entwistle.

Ever since Sept. 27 against Rossford, Genoa has been pounding on opposing teams like a Keith Moon drum, on their way to outscoring their regular season opponents 483-81.

It has “Comet Nation” standing up, pumping its fists in the air, and singing out, “Hey, we’re going to be alright after all,” via strong first half of the season debuts by new front man Josh Bryer and supporting cast members Kyle Nutter and Brandon Roberts.

Perhaps “alright” isn’t a satisfactory description of 6-2, 185 pound junior signal caller Bryer’s big-time coming-out party underneath the heat, or cold, of the Friday night lights. Bryer had a 55.1 percent completion rate, nearly 821 yards passing and 10 touchdown passes at the conclusion of the regular season. After playoff wins over Ottawa-Glandorf and Clear Fork, he had surpassed 1,000 yards passing.

Bryer has gone a long way in developing chemistry with Dufendock, senior wide receiver Garret Scott, junior end Jarrod Adkins, and senior receiving leader Derek Allgier. He expertly-deployed his skills in an explosive varsity debut against the Bulldogs by firing a bullet to Allgier in the middle of the end zone between two closing Rossford defenders for a red zone scoring strike.

His cool presence on the field when contenders like Oak Harbor and Eastwood have brought the “heat,” and stomped out his production a little bit have tagged Bryer as the Comets’ new “lightening.”

Halfback Kyle Nutter – only 5-10, 170 – rumbled his way to 1,143 yards on 163 attempts and 18 touchdowns during the regular season and was a big factor during both playoff wins. Those are numbers reminiscent of the workhorse of the 11-1 2009 playoff-run Comets, Greg “the Human Bowling Ball” Hillabrand, who rolled up 1,257 yards on 97 attempts for 22 touchdowns on the regular season.

No. 34, Nutter, even exploded for a school-record 98-yard sprint against the Woodmore Wildcats and 219 yards on 41 carries for three short-yardage touchdowns against Eastwood.

Joining Nutter and Dufendock as the third “head” in Coach Vic’s “three-headed monster” rushing attack this year has been 5-10, 150 pound junior Brandon Roberts. At the conclusion of the regular season, he had sprinted to 323 yards on 31 attempts for five TDs and a team-high 10.4 yards per carry.

If second-year star Roberts has stepped up, it’s been at the resident “shutdown” cornerback position in coordinator Tim Spiess’s defense, where the ball-hawking “B-Rob” was a leader in interceptions this year with three. That bumped Robert’s career total up to 10, while fellow DB Matt Murphy also has three and Garrett Scott four picks during the regular season.

Elsewhere, there’s “breakout-player-of-the-year” thus far, Murphy – a 5-8, 145 pound senior – who has made a big splash in ’10, via flashing a knack for big-time “splash plays” in the venues of kick returns and the ever-elusive “pick-six,” both of which have helped to ignite the maroon-and-gray-clad crowd this fall. Murphy took one all the way back for an 84-yard touchdown earlier this year against Woodmore.

Here, “Mr. Moneyshot” Tyler Pickard, and his golden, record-setting toe are a-kicking.

There, the teeth of Coach Spiess’ vicious pit bull defense is once again chewing up some of local high school football’s premier ball carriers, courtesy of tenacious run-stuffers Justin Upham, Casey Wojciechowski, Chris Cuevas, Devin Sibby, and unstoppable juggernaut Andrew Hayes, the latter two of whom have been in opposing quarterbacks’ grills all fall long, registering 23 and 25 tackles for losses, respectively, during the regular season.

And of course…everywhere is “Superman” Seth Dufendock – who is not only the Comets’ lead blocker on offense, and their signal caller on defense, but also the team’s emotional leader on and off the gridiron – who in one quarter of a game one might see taking a routine screen pass 69 long yards for a touchdown, and the next week holding for extra points, and every Friday busting heads from his linebacker position…as there just seems to be no kryptonite to hold Genoa’s own “old-school” hero down, be it a dinged-up ankle, a nagging shoulder, a stout Oak Harbor defense, or a knock-down, drag-out fight with SLL rival Eastwood.

All of which, of course, not only have “the kids” of this 2010 edition of the Genoa football Comets once again winning a league title at 12-0 overall (6-0 league) heading into the playoff rematch with Orrville Friday – and with milestone streaks alive and well, such as 36 consecutive regular season wins, and 24 straight victories in the SLL.

They also had longtime boosters of the maroon and gray, and a new generation of converts to “Comet Nation,” feeling alright Friday nights under the lights. 

Jeffery D. Norwalk, a Genoa High School graduate and Press contributing writer, is the color broadcaster at Genoa football games for WRSCradio.com.

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