Week 2 in the TRAC brings the second week of cross-divisional games, before the conference championship races officially begin next week.
Week 1 saw the Rock Division go 5-1 against the Mississippi Division at home, but this Week teams on the Mississippi side of the league get to play at home.
Coming into play this week, Rockridge (2A) and Newman (1A) each vaulted up to the No. 3 ranking from the Associated Press in the Week 2 poll.
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 Week 1
| Place | Picker | Record |
| 1 | Ty | 5-1 |
| 2 | Mitch | 4-2 |
| 3 | Greg | 3-3 |
Game of the Week: Rockridge (1-0, 0-0 TRAC Rock) @ Princeton (0-1, 0-0 TRAC Mississippi) – Friday 7 p.m.
Preview
Another marquee game highlights this week of action in the TRAC with perennial powers Rockridge and Princeton facing off at Bryant Field.
Princeton opened the season with a 28-14 loss to Newman on the road last week. The game was tied 14-14 at the end of the third quarter, before the Tigers allowed the final 14 points of the night. Princeton’s offense accounted for 304 total yards, all rushing, and 279 of those yards were racked up by running back Casey Etheridge (168 yards) and quarterback Gavin Lanham (111 yards). Defensively, the Tigers’ secondary struggled against Newman’s passing attack, allowing the Comets to complete 15-19 passes.
Rockridge blew out Sherrard 45-0 to kick off the season in Week 1. A year after scoring a single-season school-record 32 TDs in 2024, Rockridge junior quarterback Cullen Schwigen found the endzone six times last week. He passed for 134 yards and four TDs and rushed for 52 yards and two scores. The Rockets led 38-0 at halftime and allowed just one first down in the first half. Five different receivers caught passes in the win and three separate wideouts reeled in TD receptions in Week 1. Also of note, Rockridge junior kicker Bodhi Morales converted on a 37-yard field goal in Week 1, which could come into play in an expected tight game.
Picks
Ty: Rockridge
Greg: Rockridge
Mitch: Rockridge
Mercer County (0-1, 0-0 TRAC Rock) @ Sherrard (0-1, 0-0 TRAC Mississippi) – Friday 7 p.m.
Preview
The Aledo/Mercer County football program makes its first trip to Clifford King Field in 20 years to play Sherrard in Week 2, as both teams look to pick themselves up after lopsided Week 1 losses.
Mercer County was the only team in the Rock Division to lose last week, dropping its home opener to Monmouth-Roseville 35-14. The Golden Eagles trailed 21-0 at halftime and allowed the first touchdown of the second half to dig themselves into a 28-0 hole. In Mercer County’s debut running the wing-t, the Golden Eagles were limited to six first downs, less than 200 yards of total offense, and turned the ball over five times.
Sherrard was blanked 45-0 by Rockridge in Week 1. The Tigers allowed a touchdown 1:27 into the game and trailed the rest of the night. Sherrard faced a 38-0 halftime deficit and allowed a TD on the Rockets’ first drive of the second half to start a continuous clock. The game went into a lightning delay and was called late in the third quarter. Sherrard converted just one first down in the first half of the season-opening loss in the Tigers’ first game playing primarily out of the wishbone.
Picks
Ty: Mercer County
Greg: Mercer County
Mitch: Mercer County
Orion (1-0, 0-0 TRAC Rock) @ Monmouth-Roseville (1-0, 0-0 TRAC Mississippi) – Friday 7 p.m.
Preview
Orion hits the road to battle Monmouth-Roseville at Coach Dobry Field in the only game featuring a pair of 1-0 teams in the TRAC this week.
After an hour-long halftime lightning delay last week, Orion outscored Hall 19-0 in the second half to break a 21-21 deadlock and win the game going away 40-21. The Chargers were able to get the ball to senior wide receiver Owen Voorhees in a variety of ways. He caught seven passes for 130 yards for a TD and had eight carries for 70 yards and a score on the ground. Senior quarterback Kale Filler completed 12 of 23 passing attempts for 178 yards and two TDs, in addition to 35 rushing yards and a TD. Orion’s defense forced three turnovers as part of a second-half shutout.
Monmouth-Roseville downed Mercer County 35-14 on the road last week to earn the Mississippi Division’s only Week 1 win. The Titans scored the first 28 points of the game and outgained the Golden Eagles 381-195. Senior running back Nick Huston rushed for 211 yards and a TD, while senior quarterback Clay Casteel was 2-3 passing for 43 yards and a TD. Monmouth-Roseville’s defense allowed just six first downs all night and its first stringers gave up only six points.
Picks
Ty: Monmouth-Roseville
Greg: Monmouth-Roseville
Mitch: Monmouth-Roseville
Riverdale (1-0, 0-0 TRAC Rock) @ Kewanee (0-1, 0-0 TRAC Mississippi) – Friday 7 p.m.
Preview
Kewanee hopes to bounce back in its home opener against a Riverdale team with a lot of momentum coming off a Week 1 win.
The Boilermakers struggled in a season-opening 29-6 loss to Erie-Prophetstown last week. The game was moved to Saturday after lightning forced it to be postponed from Friday night. The Boilermakers trailed 16-0 at halftime and scored their only touchdown of the day on a 94-yard run by sophomore Ace LaFaollette. Kewanee threw three interceptions in the loss.
Riverdale opened a highly anticipated 2025 campaign with a 20-0 shutout win over Mendota at home last week. The Rams led 7-0 early in the first quarter when the game was delayed due to lightning. Riverdale was able to extend the lead after returning from the delay and keep the Trojans off the scoreboard for the entire night. The defensive effort marked Riverdale’s first shutout win since 2011.
Picks
Ty: Riverdale
Greg: Riverdale
Mitch: Kewanee
Erie-Prophetstown (1-0, 0-0 TRAC Rock) @ Hall (0-1, 0-0 TRAC Mississippi) – Friday 7 p.m.
Preview
Erie-Prophetstown will try to get to 2-0 before starting the Rock Division gauntlet next week in a road matchup with Hall.
Erie-Prophetstown dominated Kewanee in what was assumed to be a toss-up game coming in and won the game 29-6. The Panthers scored two TDs and made a field goal in the first half to lead 16-0 at the break. After allowing a 94-yard TD run to Kewanee, Erie-Prophetstown scored the final 13 points of the game to cruise to the win. Quarterback Keegan Winckler threw a TD and rushed for two in the win. The Panthers were led on the ground by Tristan Hovey with 91 yards. Erie-Prophetstown’s defense forced three turnovers in the game.
Hall dropped its first game under new head coach Nick Sterling, 40-21 on the road to Orion last week. The Red Devils led 21-14 in the second quarter before Orion tied the game at 21 at the half. Halftime took over an hour due to lightning. After the long intermission, Hall was outscored 19-0 in the second half and turned the ball over three times in the loss.
Picks
Ty: Erie-Prophetstown
Greg: Erie-Prophetstown
Mitch: Erie-Prophetstown
Newman (1-0, 0-0 TRAC Rock) @ Mendota (0-1, 0-0 TRAC Mississippi) – Friday 7 p.m.
Preview
After picking up the biggest win in the conference in Week 1, Newman will try to keep it rolling against Mendota ahead of beginning its Rock Division championship defense next week.
The Comets won the featured game of the TRAC’s Week 1 slate with a 28-14 victory over Princeton at Roscoe Eades Stadium last week. Newman broke a 14-14 tie with two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to pull away. Senior quarterback Evan Bushman completed 15 of 19 passes for 230 yards and two TDs in the win. George Jungerman rushed for 106 yards and two TDs to complement the Comets’ passing attack.
Mendota lost its 14th consecutive game in a 20-0 loss to Riverdale to begin the year. The Trojans forced a three-and-out right away but turned the ball over on their first possession of the year, leading to a short field that Riverdale took advantage of to get in front 7-0. Mendota was never able to get any traction on offense in new head coach Jim Eustice’s debut leading the program.
Picks
Ty: 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.