As a junior, Geneva’s Charlie Winterhalter started to emerge as the season moved along.

Now, the 6-foot, 195-pound senior linebacker is not only making things happen as the team’s leading tackler, he’s also directing the traffic on the field for the Vikings.

“My first job is to make sure everyone is in the right spot,” Winterhalter said. “It’s some pressure, but I called a little bit of the plays last year. During the week in practice, we make sure everyone knows what they’re doing.

“I just make sure everyone is on the same page.”

The decision to put that responsibility in Winterhalter’s hands was an easy one for coach Boone Thorgesen.

“He’s the smartest kid on the team,” Thorgesen said. “We knew he could be the guy that could make the calls for our defense. He’s taken that responsibility and ran with it.

“I don’t think he makes a wrong call in a game. He’s that smart. It’s that attention to detail during film work. He’s just going to be successful in anything he does.”

Winterhalter’s productivity has been essential as Geneva (9-2) heads into Saturday’s Class 6A quarterfinal at Cary-Grove (9-2). He leads the Vikings with 83 tackles, 45 solo. He also has a fumble recovery and a blocked punt.

His availability also been a key for the defense. That unit has been banged up all season, but the one constant week in and week out has been Winterhalter.

“He’s the man in the middle of our defense,” Thorgesen said. “He’s been the one consistent guy in terms of playing every game. He’s so important.”

Geneva started 5-0 before narrow losses to Batavia and Wheaton North forced a reset to the season. The Vikings have allowed only 45 points during a four-game win streak, leading to their first quarterfinal appearance since 2014.

“The injuries stunk, but we were able to get some new schemes,” Winterhalter said. “We had a rough spot with Batavia and Wheaton North. We knew if we played our best game that nobody could beat us.”

Thorgesen is happy with the way the defense responded to its midseason setback.

“I can’t say enough about our defensive staff and the players on that side of the ball,” Thorgesen said. “The way they were able to come back is a testament to the coaches.

“They worked extremely hard. They’re playing really well, and I’m super proud of those guys.”

One of those assistants is linebackers coach Pat Schiller. The Geneva graduate went on to star at Northern Illinois and later spent three seasons on NFL practice squads with the Atlanta Falcons and St. Louis Rams.

“I love him,” Winterhalter said. “He knows so much information about how to read an offense. He’s a really established guy and knows a lot. Absorbing as much information as possible is the real key. He’s really good in-game, too.”

Schiller, meanwhile, said Winterhalter is so smart that sometimes he catches things the coaching staff doesn’t see.

“He’s keeping us on our toes,” Schiller said. “He’s somebody we can rely on and somebody we trust that, if we can’t get the call in, he can put the defense in the best position for what he’s seeing.”

Another thing Schiller hopes to impart is how important it is to enjoy the here and now, regardless of where things may lead you in the future.

“He talks to us about playing on Burgess Field,” Winterhalter said. “He says we have to make the most of our high school experience.”

And that leads up to Saturday’s quarterfinals.

“That’s what it’s all about, games like these,” Winterhalter said. “It’s cool we’re able to get this far. It’s the farthest we’ve gotten with coach Thorgesen. I just think it’s great.”

Paul Johnson is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.

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