Winning any sort of championship in sports is hard.
Winning back-to-back championships is even harder.
Doing it as a team in just its second varsity season? That’s rare air.
Oswego East did just that Wednesday night, shutting out Geneva 12-0 to win its home regional and claim its second regional title since becoming an IHSA sanctioned-program last year.
As team captain Avaya Kittling-Turner accepted the regional championship plaque from Oswego East athletic director Steven Tracy, the euphoria set in.
“It feels like I’m getting handed a lollipop, and I’m like a toddler,” Kittling-Turner said.
@OEHS_GoWolves have done it. The Wolves shut out Geneva 12-0 to win their second regional title in only their second season as an IHSA-sanctioned program.
And the tackle team joined them for the celebration. pic.twitter.com/mQOfaWDpPR
— Friday Night Drive – Shaw Local (@FNDrive) October 8, 2026
And if that plaque had actually been a lollipop, it would’ve been a well-earned sweet treat.
The Wolves (17-1, 5-0 Southwest Prairie Conference) became the first — and only — team to shut out Geneva (12-3, 4-2 DuKane Conference) all season, holding the Rockets to 167 yards from scrimmage while recording two interceptions.
“Our goal was to throw a shutout out there, and they just executed exactly what we needed them to do,” Oswego East coach Ryan Clifford said. “I’m super proud of that defense.”
Wolves QB Danielle Stone didn’t have her usual video game numbers, but she still had plenty of impact. The NIU softball commit was 12-of-20 passing for 88 yards, a touchdown and an interception. She also led the game with 48 rushing yards as she picked up multiple first downs.
Defensively, Stone made an interception and several key pass breakups, despite not having played safety in three weeks.
“We just thought, ‘Hey, let’s mix it up, and let’s put her back there in her presence,’ and she was an ultimate leader on both sides of the ball,” Clifford said.
After a scoreless first quarter, Anieya Smith gave the Wolves their first big break early in the second. Smith picked off Geneva QB Linnea Popp early in the second quarter and returned it to the Rockets’ 18-yard line. A penalty on the play moved the ball to the 6.
The very next play, Danielle Stone pitched left to RB Adia Portell, who weaseled through a scrum of defenders and into the end zone for a 6-yard score.
Geneva punted its next possession, and Oswego East quickly got back into the red zone. Stone completed a fourth-down pass to Emersyn Theft, but the receiver was ruled down just short of the goal line to force a turnover on downs.
That Geneva drive would only last 7 seconds, as Stone immediately intercepted Popp on the 5-yard line.
The Wolves cashed in the following play with Stone’s 5-yard TD pass to Avaya Kittling-Turner, putting them up 12-0 after another failed conversion attempt.
“Everything happens for a reason, and I think that happened just to set up the next play to get the touchdown after the interception, so it was great,” Stone said.
Neither team found the end zone in the second half, though Geneva twice came agonizingly close in the fourth quarter.
Popp lobbed an apparent TD pass to Adelyn Estabrook, but Oswego East rusher Quinn Janssens pulled the QB’s flag before she got the pass off for a sack.
“As soon as I heard the pop (of the flag pull), relief just filled my body,” Kittling-Turner said. “I was like, ‘Oh my goodness.’ That was definitely luck right there.”
Geneva got one last chance in the game’s final minute. On third-and-goal, Smith stopped Popp’s keeper at the 1-yard line. Then, on fourth down, the Wolves made their final stand.
Stone and Elaine Taylor teamed up to break up the last-gasp pass, allowing the former to kneel out a championship victory.
“It’s amazing,” Stone said. “It’s so great, and I’m so happy that I can do it with all my teammates and family and friends around, and only up from here.”
As Oswego East’s collective celebration raged on near the home sideline, Geneva was left to reckon with a heartbreaking end to the program’s second season.
Popp finished 18-for-41 passing with 133 yards and two interceptions. Estabrook led the game with eight catches for 63 yards.
“They know and we know that one game doesn’t define who we are as people, and I’m still proud of them as how they are as human beings and what they bring to not only our school, but our community and to each other,” Geneva coach Kaleigh O’Brien said. “And we’ll be back.”
The Wolves advance to Saturday’s sectional semifinal against second-seeded Willowbrook, hoping to avoid a repeat of last year’s playoff exit.
“We’ve just got to play our game and stay disciplined, and play with effort, and we’ll see what happens,” Clifford said.