Three TRAC teams survived the first round of the IHSA playoffs and will look to punch their tickets into the quarterfinals this weekend.
Rockridge, Princeton and Newman all advanced with convincing round one wins. Erie-Prophetstown and Monmouth-Roseville suffered final-minute season-ending losses. The Panthers took undefeated Bismarck-Henning-Rossville-Alvin to the limit but allowed a game-winning touchdown with 38 seconds left in the game after leading 6-0 at the end of the third quarter to lose 14-6 in the opening round of the 2A playoffs. Paxton-Buckley-Loda found the end zone with 20 seconds remaining to beat the Titans 22-20 in Class 3A. Richland County ended Kewanee’s season in the 4A bracket last week, 41-14.
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.
Standings after the first round
| Place | Picker | Record |
| 1 | Ty | 50-10 |
| 2 | Greg | 48-12 |
| 3 | Mitch | 46-14 |
| 4 | Jim | 44-16 |
2A Second Round – No. 8 Rockridge (8-2, 4-1 TRAC Rock) @ No. 1 Farmington (10-0, 8-0 LLC Large) – Saturday 1 p.m.
Preview
Rockridge won its first-round playoff game for the third straight year in a 22-8 victory over Eastland-Pearl City last week. The Rockets led 22-0 at halftime and held serve in the second half to move on. Sophomore quarterback Cullen Schwigen accounted for all three of Rockridge’s touchdowns, a 7-yard pass to Landon Wheatley in the first quarter and two TD runs in the second. Schwigen broke the single-season TD record (32) and single-season passing yardage record (1,859) in the Rockridge program last Saturday. The Rockets limited EPC’s offense to five first downs and 97 yards of total offense in the win, which improved Rockridge’s TRAC-best figure of 13.1 points allowed per game. The Rockets have won five games in a row.
Farmington is one of two undefeated teams remaining in 2A after a 21-0 shutout of Deer Creek-Mackinaw in the first round. The Farmers had the ball first-and-goal at the 1-yard line and first-and-goal at the 3-yard line on their first two drives but came up empty and were tied with the Chiefs 0-0 at halftime. Logan Utt and Noah Flemming each rushed for touchdowns in the win and Lane Wheelwright connected with Jack Gronewold on a 19-yard TD pass late in the fourth quarter to put the game away. Despite missing two games with an injury, Wheelwright has thrown for 1,678 yards and 21 TDs. Gronewold has racked up 988 receiving yards and 13 TDs for the Farmers. Farmington won the Lincoln Land Conference Large Division and played just two competitive games in the regular season, a 26-20 overtime win against Macomb and an 8-6 victory over Annawan-Wethersfield in Weeks 6 and 7. The Farmers’ defense has the best scoring average in the 2A field, allowing 8.4 points per game.
Both teams will look to make it a step further than last year’s second-round exits. Rockridge will try to advance to the quarterfinals for the second time in three years, while Farmington aims to be a quarterfinalist for the second time in four seasons. The old Olympic Conference rivals look to be evenly matched and similarly constructed with electric offenses led by a dynamic quarterback and elite defenses. The Rockets and Farmers haven’t met in football since 2009, the final year of the Olympic Conference.
The winner will play either Elmwood-Brimfield (9-1) or Dwight/Gardner-South Wilmington (7-3) in the quarterfinals.
Picks
Ty: Rockridge
Jim: Rockridge
Greg: Rockridge
Mitch: Rockridge
1A Second Round – No. 6 Newman (8-2, 5-0 TRAC Rock) @ No. 3 Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley (9-1, 7-1 HOCI) – Saturday 2 p.m.
Preview
Newman opened the 1A playoffs with a 50-22 win over Hope Academy at Roscoe Eades Stadium last week. The Comets never trailed in the game and led by at least two scores for most of the afternoon. Newman held a 33-16 advantage at halftime. The TRAC Rock division champions rushed for 231 yards in the win, paced by Briar Ivey with 102 yards and three touchdowns. Daniel Kelly added 99 yards and a score for the Comets. Newman’s defense forced five turnovers in the takedown of the Eagles, who advanced to the 1A semifinals last year. Junior quarterback Evan Bushman returned to the lineup for Newman in the first round after missing the final two weeks of the regular season.
Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley rolled Salt Fork 38-7 last week to begin its playoff run. After giving up an early touchdown and trailing 7-0, the Falcons scored the final 38 points of the game to cruise to the second round. Brayden Bradbury led the GCMS offense with 111 rushing yards and a TD on 11 carries. In the round one win, quarterback Brayden Elliott broke the all-time passing yardage record for the Falcons. GCMS finished second in the Heart of Central Illinois Conference behind LeRoy, the only team that has beaten the Falcons.
The 1A second round provides a classic IHSA small school matchup between Newman and GCMS, which have combined to win eight state championships. The programs met in the playoffs for three straight years (2017-19) where the winner went on to win the state title. The Falcons knocked out the Comets in the 2017 semifinals and 2018 quarterfinals on their way to state championships and Newman ended GCMS’s season in the 2019 second round in the Comets’ most recent state title run.
The winner of the all-NUIC second-round game between Lena-Winslow (10-0) and Stockton (7-3) will be waiting in the quarterfinals.
Picks
Ty: Newman
Jim: Newman
Greg: Newman
Mitch: Newman
3A Second Round – No. 4 Princeton (9-1, 4-1 TRAC Mississippi) @ No. 12 King (7-3, 6-1 CPL White-South) – Saturday 3:30 p.m.
Preview
Princeton crushed Oregon 40-8 at Bryant Field to kick off the 2024 playoffs last Friday. After a scoreless first quarter, the Tigers scored three touchdowns in the second to take an 18-0 halftime lead. Princeton eventually extended the advantage to 40-0 in the fourth quarter. Casey Etheridge ran for 150 yards and two TDs in the victory, which raised his season totals to 1,424 yards and 22 TDs. Noah LaPorte added three receptions for 69 yards and a TD for Princeton. The Tigers have outscored opponents 256-56 during a five-game winning streak since a 31-3 Week 5 loss to Monmouth-Roseville. Princeton is one win away from being a 3A quarterfinalist for the fifth consecutive season.
King beat fellow Chicago Public League opponent Marshall 40-8 last week. Quarterback Jaden Thomas is 53-99 passing on the season for 978 yards and 14 TDs. The Jaguars won the CPL White-South Division to qualify for postseason eligibility. King has played only one non-CPL opponent so far, Reavis in Week 1, which was a 35-6 loss. The Jaguars also lost to Clark 23-6 in Week 2 but then rattled off seven straight wins before taking a forfeit loss Goode with Week 9.
Princeton is a heavy favorite to beat King handily in its trip to the city’s Gately Stadium with the traditional playoff struggles of CPL schools.
The Tigers should be able to coast into the quarterfinals where the survivor of the titanic clash between Byron (10-0) and Montini (8-2) will meet them, both programs Princeton has become very familiar with in the 3A playoffs.
Picks
Ty: Princeton
Jim: Princeton
Greg: Princeton
Mitch: Princeton
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.