Monmouth-Roseville is the lone TRAC team alive as part of the final 64 11-man football teams in the state still playing this week.
Rockridge and Newman each suffered season-ending losses in the 2A second round last week. The Rockets fell in the final minutes to Tri-Valley 24-17, and the Comets were blanked by El Paso-Gridley 31-0.
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 the second round
| Place | Picker | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ty | 53-9 |
| T2 | Mitch | 51-11 |
| T2 | Greg | 51-11 |
No. 5 Monmouth-Roseville (10-1) @ No. 1 Richmond-Burton (11-0) – Saturday 2 p.m.
Preview
Monmouth-Roseville is aiming to pull off an upset for the second consecutive week as the Titans make the long road trip to play Richmond-Burton in the 3A quarterfinals.
Monmouth-Roseville pulled off the upset of the 3A second round last week, knocking off the previously unbeaten and the No. 2-ranked team in the final AP poll, Bloomington Central Catholic, 29-28. The Titans led 22-15 at halftime and extended the advantage to 29-15 at the end of the third quarter. Bloomington Central Catholic cut into the lead with a 35-yard TD run with 7:10 left to make it 29-22 and added another score with 5:16 to play, but missed the extra point, which proved to be the difference in the game. Nick Huston rushed for 121 yards and two TDs on 31 carries to lead the Titans to their first quarterfinal appearance since 2018. Elijah Noel added 102 yards and a score in the win. Monmouth-Roseville is aiming for its first-ever semifinal berth in consolidated school history.
Richmond-Burton rolled to a 57-7 second-round win over Aurora Central Catholic last week. The Rockets led 29-0 at the end of the first quarter and led 42-0 at halftime. Hunter Carley scored four TDs, which pushes his season total to 30. Riley Shea added a pair of scored on the ground in the win. Richmond-Burton has outscored its playoff opponents 106-7. On the season, the Rockets average 42.9 points per game and have allowed just 7.8 per game. This season marks the first time since the IHSA expanded to an eight-class playoff field that Richmond-Burton has fallen into the 3A postseason. The Rockets’ most recent quarterfinal appearance came in 2022 in Class 4A.
Picks
Ty: Monmouth-Roseville
Greg: Monmouth-Roseville
Mitch: Monmouth-Roseville
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.