The 2024 high school football season is here and a new addition to WRMJ’s coverage is weekly previews and picks for Three Rivers Athletic Conference (TRAC) games. Ty Taylor and Jim Taylor will be joined by Greg Armstrong and Mitch Stoermer from View from the West Podcast each week.
Game of the Week: Mercer County (0-0, 0-0 TRAC Rock) @ Monmouth-Roseville (0-0, 0-0 TRAC Mississippi) – Friday 7 p.m.
Preview
Mercer County’s highly anticipated move to the TRAC is here and the Golden Eagles face an immediate test with a trip south on IL-94 to Coach Dobry Field in Monmouth.
Monmouth-Roseville is projected to be one of the top teams in the conference with a strong ground game and offensive line returning. Senior running back Payton Thompson led Monmouth-Roseville’s offensive attack with 992 rushing yards and 14 total TDs last season. He’ll run behind a starting offensive line that’s average size is 6 feet 1 inch tall and 264 pounds.
Similarly, Mercer County will rely on production from its standout running back, junior Tannen Whitehall. Whitehall earned second-team all-conference honors in the Lincoln Land conference last season. John Baldwin, junior quarterback, takes over as the signal caller for the Golden Eagles in 2024.
This is the first-ever meeting in football between Mercer County and Monmouth-Roseville. Aledo-Westmer and Monmouth-Roseville’s last matchup was in the 2007 Class 3A playoffs, a 44-16 win for the Green Dragons. Monmouth/Monmouth-Roseville leads the all-time series with Aledo/Aledo-Westmer/Mercer County 19-15 since 1976.
Picks
Ty: Monmouth-Roseville
Jim: Monmouth-Roseville
Greg: Monmouth-Roseville
Mitch: Monmouth-Roseville
Rockridge (0-0, 0-0 TRAC Rock) @ Sherrard (0-0, 0-0 TRAC Mississippi) – Friday 7 p.m.
Preview
The Rockridge-Sherrard rivalry gets renewed with a Week 1 clash at Clifford King Field.
The Rockets and Tigers have played competitive games in the last two meetings. In 2022, Rockridge erased an early 21-7 deficit to come back and beat Sherrard 35-21. The Rockets scored with under two minutes left last season to defeat the Tigers 31-28.
Rockridge has sophomore quarterback Cullen Schwigen leading the offense after a successful freshman season, in which he nearly passed and rushed for over 1,000 yards each. The Rockets should be strong on the defensive end again this season with all-state linebacker Landon Bull leading the charge.
Sherrard is shifting Carter Brown to quarterback for his junior season. He’s been selected as a unanimous first-team all-conference wideout in his freshman and sophomore seasons. The Tigers will need a lot of production from Brown both on the ground and through the air to get over the hump in 2024.
Since 1980, Rockridge leads the series with Sherrard 30-14. The Rockets have won 10 consecutive meetings. Sherrard’s last win over Rockridge was in 2009.
Picks
Ty: Rockridge
Jim: Rockridge
Greg: Rockridge
Mitch: Rockridge
Orion (0-0, 0-0 TRAC Rock) @ Hall (0-0, 0-0 TRAC Mississippi) – Friday 7 p.m.
Preview
Most of the preseason coverage on Orion has centered around its roster of just 24 players. While that number feels dangerously low, the Chargers think there’s a high-quality nucleus of players, led by junior quarterback Kale Filler. He threw for over 2,000 yards last year with touchdown-to-interception ratio of 23-3. Filler has both of his top targets, Jake Bainbridge and Owen Voorhees, suiting up as wide receivers.
Logan Larson is the new head coach at Hall. He was an assistant for 2A runner-up Athens last season. The Red Devils return nine offensive starters and eight defensive starters on a team that has the potential to take a big step forward in 2024.
Orion beat Hall 20-14 last season.
Picks
Ty: Orion
Jim: Orion
Greg: Hall
Mitch: Orion
Erie-Prophetstown (0-0, 0-0 TRAC Rock) @ Kewanee (0-0, 0-0 TRAC Mississippi) – Friday 7 p.m.
Preview
An intriguing Week 1 match-up pits two of the conference’s top running backs against each other. Erie-Prophetstown’s Demetree Larsen and Kewanee’s Alex Duarte were first-team all-conference players on both sides of the ball last season.
After winning three of four to end the 2023 campaign, Erie-Prophetstown rallied from a 0-5 start to finish last year 3-6. Larsen is one of the most dynamic playmakers in the conference. He amassed 959 all-purpose yards and eight TDs.
Kewanee needs to replace all-state quarterback Brady Clark this season. The Boilermakers offensive attack is primed to be paced by Duarte, who ran for 797 yards and 11 TDs last year. Kewanee also returns its top three receivers from 2023.
Kewanee beat Erie-Prophetstown 28-0 last year.
Picks
Ty: Kewanee
Jim: Kewanee
Greg: Kewanee
Mitch: Kewanee
Riverdale (0-0, 0-0 TRAC Rock) @ Mendota (0-0, 0-0 TRAC Mississippi) – Friday 7 p.m.
Preview
Riverdale and Mendota will look to get off on the right foot in 2024 after struggling last season.
The Riverdale football program has built momentum entering the year after having to cancel its varsity season two years ago because of low numbers. The Rams have gone from 18 players in 2022 to nearly 50 in 2024. Riverdale lost just two seniors from last year’s 0-9 group, so this year’s team is looking to take a big step forward.
Mendota is trying to turn things around after going 1-8 last year, which marked the program’s eighth losing season in nine years. The Trojans need to replace Justin Randolph, who led the team in passing and rushing last season. Senior wideout Braiden Freeman is a name to watch for Mendota this season.
Mendota won last year’s meeting 35-14.
Picks
Ty: Mendota
Jim: Riverdale
Greg: Mendota
Mitch: Mendota
Newman (0-0, 0-0 TRAC Rock) @ Princeton (0-0, 0-0 TRAC Mississippi) – Friday 7 p.m.
Preview
Princeton, the presumptive best team in the conference, faces a challenge in Week 1 at home against Newman.
The Tigers earned double-digit wins again and made a fourth consecutive appearance in the 3A quarterfinals last season. Most of Princeton’s production returns, highlighted by junior running back Casey Etheridge and senior wide receiver Noah LaPorte. Etheridge rushed for 1,897 yards and 29 TDs last year. LaPorte caught 34 passes for 517 yards and eight TDs a year ago. Princeton’s defense allowed just 6.3 points per game last year and shut out opponents in seven of its 12 contests.
Newman is looking for more consistency on offense this season after an exceptionally strong year on the defensive end last year. The Comets’ defense forced 28 turnovers in 2023 but were only able to score 30+ points once. Junior quarterback Evan Bushman passed for nearly 1,500 yards and 10 TDs last season, while senior linebacker Daniel Kelly had 115 tackles to lead the defense.
Princeton beat Newman 20-0 last season.
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.