Three TRAC teams survived the first round of the IHSA playoffs and will look to punch their tickets into the quarterfinals this weekend.
Rockridge, Newman and Monmouth-Roseville all extended their seasons into the second round with convincing wins last week.
WRMJ’s Ty Taylor is joined by Greg Armstrong and Mitch Stoermer from View from the West Podcast to preview and predict this week’s action.
Standings after first round
| Place | Picker | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ty | 52-7 |
| T2 | Mitch | 51-8 |
| T2 | Greg | 51-8 |
3A Second Round – No. 5 Monmouth-Roseville (9-1) @ No. 4 Bloomington Central Catholic (10-0) – Saturday 1 p.m.
Preview
Monmouth-Roseville hits the road to take on undefeated Bloomington Central Catholic in the second round of the 3A postseason.
Monmouth-Roseville picked up a first-round playoff win for the second time in the past three seasons with a 39-14 dispatching of Manteno last week. The Titans led the game 39-0 before the Panthers scored the final two touchdowns of the night. Monmouth-Roseville rushed for 334 yards and six TDs in the win. Nick Huston accounted for 205 yards and four scores last week. Monmouth-Roseville is averaging 41.3 points per game this season. The Titans are looking to advance to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2018.
Bloomington Central Catholic remained unbeaten with a 41-20 win over Princeton in the first round of the 3A playoffs. The Saints were led by senior running back Valshun Powe, an Illinois State University signee, who rushed for 273 yards and six TDs in the win. Bloomington Central Catholic led 7-0 at the end of the first quarter and 14-6 when the Tigers trimmed the deficit to 14-12 with under two minutes to play in the first half, but the Saints responded with an 80-yard TD drive that took just 38 seconds, capped by a 24-yard scoring run by Powe. Bloomington Central Catholic was then able to pull away in the second half. BCC, ranked No. 2 in the final 3A AP Poll, last appeared in the quarterfinals in 2022 as a 2A team.
The winner will advance to play No. 1 Richmond Burton (10-0) or No. 9 Aurora Central Catholic (8-2).
Picks
Ty: Bloomington Central Catholic
Greg: Bloomington Central Catholic
Mitch: Bloomington Central Catholic
2A Second Round – No. 1 Rockridge (10-0) @ No. 9 Tri-Valley (8-2) – Saturday 2 p.m.
Preview
Rockridge makes the trip to Downs to meet up with Tri-Valley this week after both teams rolled to continuous clock wins in the first round.
Rockridge ran over Illini West in the first round by a final score of 56-12. The Rockets outgained the Chargers 584-62 and rushed for 490 yards and eight TDs in the win. Thomas Sowards led Rockridge’s rushing attack with 166 yards and five TDs. Cullen Schwigen added 135 rushing yards and two TDs, and Tanner Dye ran for 144 yards and a score. The Rockets, ranked No. 1 in the final 2A AP Poll, have been eliminated in the second round each of the past two seasons after reaching the quarterfinals in 2022. Rockridge is guaranteed to be at home in the quarterfinals if it is able to beat Tri-Valley. Rockridge has scored 40+ points in seven of its 10 games in 2025.
Tri-Valley blanked Richards 44-0 at Stagg Stadium in Chicago to open the 2A playoffs last week. The Vikings’ two losses this season came by a combined four points. Tri-Valley lost to Tuscola 28-27 in Week 3 and fell to El-Paso Gridley on a field goal in the final minute, 24-21 in Week 5. The Vikings were playing without leading rusher Tommy Harris, who has racked up 800 yards and 16 TDs this year, in the loss to El Paso-Gridley. The Vikings’ defense is allowing just 10.3 points per game and has forced 24 turnovers, which include 14 interceptions, this season. Tri-Valley was unranked in the final 2A AP Poll, but was ranked No. 2 in the preseason. The Vikings, like Rockridge, are trying to return to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2022 after two straight seasons of second-round losses. Tri-Valley finished 2A state runner-up that year.
The winner moves on to take on No. 4 Seneca (10-0) or No. 5 Wilmington (9-1).
Picks
Ty: Rockridge
Greg: Rockridge
Mitch: Rockridge
2A Second Round – No. 7 Newman (8-2) @ No. 2 El Paso-Gridley (10-0) – Saturday 5 p.m.
Preview
Newman travels to El Paso-Gridley for a 2A second-round battle after both teams picked up convincing wins last week.
Newman bounced back from a blowout loss to Monmouth-Roseville in Week 9 by clobbering Ridgeview-Lexington 43-8 in the first round. Evan Bushman completed 13 of 19 passes for 211 yards and a TD in the win. John Rowzee racked up 116 receiving yards, while Matthew Blackert and Rylan Alvarado combined for five rushing TDs. The Comets are aiming for their first quarterfinal berth since 2019, a season Newman went on to win the 2A state championship.
El Paso-Gridley beat Marshall 43-20 to open its playoff run last week. The Titans led the game 43-0 at halftime. El Paso-Gridley enters the game undefeated and won the Heart of Central Illinois Conference Large Division championship. The Titans have picked up noteworthy wins over Tri-Valley (24-21 in Week 5), Deer Creek-Mackinaw (41-0 in Week 3), and Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley (52-14 in Week 4). El Paso-Gridley has allowed just 8.7 points per game and given up six points or less six times this season.
The winner will play No. 3 Farmington (10-0) or No. 6 Aurora Christian (8-2) next week.
Picks
Ty: El Paso-Gridley
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.