After a mixed bag of Week 1 results in the TRAC, this week’s slate features one of, if not the, top games of season – a top-five showdown between 3A No. 3 Princeton and 2A No. 3 Rockridge in Edgington.*
The first batch of crossover games in the league wrap up this weekend with divisonal matchups taking place Weeks 3-7.
WRMJ’s Ty Taylor and Jim Taylor are joined by Greg Armstrong and Mitch Stoermer from View from the West Podcast to preview and predict this week’s action.
*Rankings from NUIC Football’s weekly statewide media poll. The first AP poll is set to be released next week.
Standings after Week 1
| Place | Picker | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jim | 5-1 |
| T2 | Mitch | 4-2 |
| T2 | Ty | 4-2 |
| 4 | Greg | 3-3 |
Game of the Week: Princeton (1-0, 0-0 TRAC Mississippi) @ Rockridge (1-0, 0-0 TRAC Rock) – Friday 7 p.m.
Preview
This week’s Princeton-Rockridge clash is most likely the highest-anticipated game in the TRAC all season. The Tigers and Rockets were selected as the favorites of their respective divisions by conference coaches and media before the season.
Princeton never trailed in its season-opening 28-14 win over Newman last week. The Tigers led 21-7 at halftime and the Comets never got within one score in the second half. Casey Etheridge and Ace Christiansen each rushed for 94 yards and a touchdown. Quarterback William Lott and the Princeton aerial attack were limited to 3-10 passing for 13 yards. The Tigers held Newman to negative 39 yards rushing in the game, while racking up 7.5 tackles for loss and four sacks.
Rockridge cruised past Sherrard 42-6 in Week 1. Quarterback Cullen Schwigen accounted for six TDs in the win. He was 9-21 passing for 175 yards and three TDs. Schwigen ran for 109 yards and three TDs on eight carries. The Rockets led 28-0 at halftime and limited Sherrard to 28 yards rushing.
The last meeting between the programs came in Week 1 of 2022, a 41-22 Princeton win.
Picks
Ty: Princeton
Jim: Rockridge
Greg: Princeton
Mitch: Princeton
Sherrard (0-1, 0-0 TRAC Mississippi) @ Mercer County (0-1, 0-0 TRAC Rock) – Friday 7 p.m.
Preview
The TRAC-powered reunion tour with Mercer County and its local and historical rivals continues with a Week 2 matchup with Sherrard at George Pratt Memorial Field. Both teams are looking to rebound from lopsided Week 1 losses.
Mercer County’s TRAC debut against Monmouth-Roseville was derailed in the second half last week. After the Golden Eagles led 8-6 at halftime, Mercer County was outscored 38-6 in the third quarter en route to a 50-14 loss. The Golden Eagles lost the turnover battle 6-0. All six giveaways happened in the second half. Quarterback John Baldwin totaled 217 passing yards on 15-22 attempts. He threw one touchdown and four interceptions in the loss. Mercer County will be without standout running back Tannen Whitehall, who suffered an ankle injury in Week 1.
Sherrard was outscored 21-0 in the first quarter in its season opener last week and was never able to get into the game in a 42-6 loss to Rockridge. Sherrard mustered just 54 yards of total offense in the first half and ended with 179 yards. Carter Brown debuted at quarterback for the Tigers by going 7-18 passing for 151 yards and a touchdown. Sherrard is also missing some key pieces – offensive linemen Sam Steckel and Jonathan Weakley and wide receiver/linebacker Brody Bender are all out with injuries.
This is the first-ever meeting between Mercer County and Sherrard High Schools in football. Aledo and Sherrard last played in 2005, a 23-9 win for the Tigers. Since 1980, Sherrard leads the all-time series 16-13 over Aledo/Mercer County.
Picks
Ty: Mercer County
Jim: Sherrard
Greg: Sherrard
Mitch: Mercer County
Monmouth-Roseville (1-0, 0-0 TRAC Mississippi) @ Orion (1-0, 0-0 TRAC Rock) – Friday 7 p.m.
Preview
Monmouth-Roseville and Orion used explosive offensive performances to earn convincing Week 1 wins coming into this week’s battle of 1-0 teams.
Monmouth-Roseville rushed for 346 yards on 55 attempts in a 50-14 takedown of Mercer-County last week. The Titans dropped back to pass just one time and were sacked. Payton Thompson led the way with 159 yards and two TDs on 17 carries. He also grabbed two of the Titans’ four interceptions in the game. The Titans scored 44 points in the second half.
Conversely, Orion attempted 34 passes in its 42-14 win over Hall last week. Kale Filler completed 21 of those 34 attempts for 315 yards and a TD. Junior wideout Owen Voorhees reeled in seven receptions for 160 yards and a TD, in addition to an 87-yard kickoff return for a score. The Chargers had 30 points in the first quarter and 36 at halftime.
The Monmouth-Roseville wing-t vs the Orion five wide receiver attack is intriguing both stylistically and in terms of what the result of this game ends up being.
Picks
Ty: Monmouth-Roseville
Jim: Orion
Greg: Monmouth-Roseville
Mitch: Monmouth-Roseville
Kewanee (0-1, 0-0 TRAC Mississippi) @ Riverdale (1-0, 0-0 TRAC Rock) – Friday 7 p.m.
Preview
Riverdale and Kewanee were both part of Week 1 games that arose questions in the conference heading into to Week 2.
Riverdale picked up the football program’s first varsity win since 2021, a 23-12 victory at Mendota last Friday. It raises the question – how much improved is Riverdale in 2024? The program had to cancel its 2022 season because of low numbers and gained a ton of momentum in the offseason, despite an 0-9 year last season. If head coach Guy Dierikx, who deserves a lot of credit, can get another win this week, it will make an already deep conference even deeper with the emergence of the Rams continuing.
On the other side, Kewanee dropped a tight game to Erie-Prophetstown 13-6 last week. A pair of special teams plays hurt the Boilermakers in the loss. On the opening kickoff, Erie-Prophetstown returned it to the Kewanee 49-yard line. The Boilermakers committed a personal foul on the play, which set the Panthers up for a 34-yard scoring drive. Later in the first half, Kewanee muffed a punt at its own 21-yard line to give Erie-Prophetstown another short field that it was able to take advantage of. The rest of the night was tough sledding on offense for the Boilers against an Erie-Prophetstown team that looks like its making a jump from 2023 to 2024. Kewanee’s question mark remains the same – how do the Boilermakers replace 4A all-state quarterback Brady Clark?
Picks
Ty: Kewanee
Jim: Kewanee
Greg: Kewanee
Mitch: Kewanee
Hall (0-1, 0-0 TRAC Mississippi) @ Erie-Prophetstown (1-0, 0-0 TRAC Rock) – Friday 7 p.m.
Preview
Erie-Prophetstown opens its home schedule entertaining Hall.
The Panthers picked up where they left off at the tail end of the 2023 season with a 13-6 road win over Kewanee last week. Erie-Prophetstown capitalized on two short fields in the first half to jump out to a 13-0 lead and held on in the second half to defeat a Boilermakers team that went 8-2 last year and competed in the 4A playoffs. Quarterback Keegan Winckler accounted for both scores – a 6-yard TD pass to Demetree Larsen and a 21-yard TD run. Larsen hauled in a highlight reel catch on fourth-and-12 with under a minute left in the fourth quarter to put the game on ice.
Hall struggled in its season opener, a 42-14 home loss to Orion. The Red Devils gave up a game-opening kickoff return for a touchdown and allowed 36 points in the first half. Hall was never able to get into the game in the second half. The Red Devils scores came on TD runs from Braden Curran and Jack Curran.
Picks
Ty: Erie-Prophetstown
Jim: Erie-Prophetstown
Greg: Erie-Prophetstown
Mitch: Erie-Prophetstown
Mendota (0-1, 0-0 TRAC Mississippi) @ Newman (0-1, 0-0 TRAC Rock) – Saturday 6 p.m.
Preview
Newman hosts Mendota for a Saturday night tilt at Roscoe Eades Stadium this week after both teams dropped their openers by two scores.
Newman hung around against Princeton, but lost 28-14 last week. The Comets trailed 21-7 at halftime and were never able to get within one score in the second half. Newman struggled to run the ball in the game, ending with a net of negative 39 yards rushing. The Comets will try to take a step forward in Week 2 against a Mendota team that struggled in Week 1.
The Trojans fell at home to Riverdale 23-12 last week. Mendota went 1-8 last year and its only win was against the Rams. The Trojans will need to put together a much better showing to compete with Newman this week.
Picks
Ty: Newman
Jim: Newman
Greg: Newman
Mitch: Newman
WRMJ’s coverage of the TRAC is presented by:
- Midwest Bank, with locations that include Aledo, Andalusia, Monmouth, and Moline
- Local COUNTRY Financial representatives Tracy Bigham, Jason Potter, and John Waugh in Aledo, Brent Bigham in Edgington, and Julie Hessler in Orion.
- Breedlove’s Sporting Goods in Kewanee
Visit our TRAC webpage to stay updated with the conference throughout the season.