Week 3 brings the opening week of divisional games in the TRAC.
The Rock Division went 10-2 across the first two weeks of crossover play, with Monmouth-Roseville picking up the only two wins in the Mississippi Division. Along with the Titans, Rockridge, Riverdale, Newman, and Erie-Prophetstown won their first two games of the season.
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 2
| Place | Picker | Record |
| 1 | Ty | 11-1 |
| T2 | Mitch | 9-3 |
| T2 | Greg | 9-3 |
Game of the Week – Riverdale (2-0, 0-0 TRAC Rock) @ Rockridge (2-0, 0-0 TRAC Rock) – Friday 7 p.m.
Preview
Rockridge hosts Riverdale on Homecoming in a battle of unbeatens in Edgington.
Riverdale is off to its first 2-0 start since 2011 after crushing Kewanee 54-7 last week. The Rams led 39-0 at halftime and racked up 344 yards of total offense in the first half of the rout. Riverdale had three different running backs rush for over 100 yards last week, led by Gaege Heinsen’s 174 yards and one TD. Defensively, the Rams have allowed just seven points through two weeks and have outscored their opponents 74-7.
Rockridge earned a dramatic 36-29 comeback win at Princeton in Week 2 by scoring the final 21 points of the game to erase a 14-point second-half deficit. The Rockets, ranked No. 3 in this week’s Class 2A AP Poll, broke a 29-29 tie on a 3-yard TD run by quarterback Cullen Schwigen with 45 seconds left in the game. Schwigen scored five TDs in the win and has accounted for all 11 times Rockridge has found the endzone so far this year. Overall, he’s 21-37 passing for 382 yards, seven TDs, and one interception, to go along with 98 rushing yards and four scores on the ground.
Picks
Ty: Rockridge
Greg: Rockridge
Mitch: Rockridge
Orion (1-1, 0-0 TRAC Rock) @ Mercer County (1-1, 0-0 TRAC Rock) Friday – 7 p.m.
Preview
Orion travels to George Pratt Memorial Field for the first time since 2014 to play Mercer County in a matchup of 1-1 teams needing to pick up a win.
Orion took a 48-28 loss to Monmouth-Roseville last week. The game was tied 7-7 at the end of the first quarter before the Chargers were outscored 28-7 in the second quarter to face a 35-14 deficit at halftime. Orion allowed 425 rushing yards to the Titans in the loss and will face a similar wing-t attack from Mercer County in Week 3. Owen Voorhees caught a TD pass, rushed for a score, and returned his sixth career kickoff for a TD in the loss, which moved him into a tie for fourth all-time in IHSA history for kickoff return TDs.
Mercer County grinded out a 28-6 win over Sherrard in week 2. Leading 14-6 early in the third quarter, the Golden Eagles scored the final 14 points of the game to pull away late. Running back Tannen Whitehall and quarterback John Baldwin each rushed for two TDs in the win. Mercer County’s defense didn’t allow any points, as Sherrard’s only score came on a kickoff return to open the second half. The Golden Eagles’ secondary will be tested for the first time in Week 3 after playing a pair of run-heavy opponents to begin the year.
Picks
Ty: Mercer County
Greg: Orion
Mitch: Orion
Erie-Prophetstown (2-0, 0-0 TRAC Rock) @ Newman (2-0, 0-0 TRAC Rock) – Saturday 1 p.m.
Preview
Newman hosts Erie-Prophetstown at Roscoe Eads Stadium on Saturday for the second meeting between 2-0 teams in the Rock Division this week.
After a slow start last week, Newman came alive in the second half to beat Mendota 35-18. The Comets, ranked No. 3 in this week’s 1A AP Poll, trailed 6-0 at the end of the first quarter. Early in the second, Mendota turned the ball over at the 1-yard line, which led to a 99-yard scoring drive for the Comets, capped by a 24-yard TD run by George Jungerman to put Newman ahead 7-6. The Comets led the rest of the game, though it was just 14-12 both at half and at the end of the third quarter. Newman outscored Mendota 21-6 in the fourth quarter.
Erie-Prophetstown remained unbeaten with a 19-7 win over Hall in Week 2. The Panthers have allowed their opponents to score just 13 points through two games this year. Erie-Prophetstown led 6-0 at halftime and 13-0 at the end of the third quarter. Gaven Adams caught a pair of TD passes from Keegan Winckler, and Max Milem rushed for a score in the win for the Panthers.
Picks
Ty: Newman
Greg: Newman
Mitch: Newman
Princeton (1-2, 1-0 TRAC Mississippi) defeats Sherrard (0-3, 0-1 TRAC Mississippi) via forfeit
Overview
For the first time in school history, Sherrard will take a forfeit loss in a varsity football game due to low numbers because of injury and illness in the program. Sherrard had more than 10 players who were going to be sidelined for various reasons in a program with just 34 kids on the roster. Sherrard is now 0-3 on the season and plans to play next week at Hall.
Princeton receives a forfeit win in a game it was heavily favored in. Princeton is now 1-2 after suffering back-to-back tight losses to state-ranked opponents to start the year. Last week, Princeton saw a 14-point second-half lead slip away in a 36-29 loss to Rockridge. After this week’s forfeit win, Princeton will return to the field next week at home against Kewanee.
Picks
N/A
Monmouth-Roseville (2-0, 0-0 TRAC Mississippi) @ Kewanee (0-2, 0-0 TRAC Mississippi) – Friday 7 p.m.
Preview
Monmouth-Roseville kicks off its Mississippi Division championship defense on the road at Kewanee on Friday.
Monmouth-Roseville rolled past Orion 48-28 last week. The Titans racked up 425 yards of total offense in the win, all coming on the ground. Monmouth-Roseville pulled away in the second quarter by outscoring the Chargers 28=7 in the period to take a 35-14 lead at halftime after the game was tied 7-7 at the end of the first quarter. Landon Montroy rushed for 242 yards and four TDs in the win, while Nick Huston added 123 yards and one TD. Monmouth-Roseville was the only team in the Mississippi Division to win in the first two weeks of the season.
Kewanee was blown out by Riverdale 54-7 in Week 2. It was the first time the Boilermakers had lost to the Rams in football. Kewanee trailed 39-0 at halftime in the loss. The Boilermakers’ lone score came on a 61-yard TD run by Ace LaFollette. Kewanee has only scored 13 points through two weeks, and both scores have been on long runs by LaFollette. The Boilermakers allowed more than 500 yards of total offense last week.
Picks
Ty: Monmouth-Roseville
Greg: Monmouth-Roseville
Mitch: Monmouth-Roseville
Hall (0-2, 0-0 TRAC Mississippi) @ Mendota (0-2, 0-0 TRAC Mississippi) – Friday 7 p.m.
Preview
Mendota and Hall will each look to take a step in the right direction as both teams look for their first win in Week 3.
Mendota surprised last week by sticking around and competing with Newman for full quarters. The Trojans led 6-0 at then of the first quarter and fumbled the snap on the Comets’ 1-yard line with a chance to go ahead by two scores early in the second quarter. The turnover proved costly as Newman would take the ball 99 yards to take a 7-6 lead and stay in front for the rest of the night. Menota battled back to trail by just two, 14-12, at the end of the third quarter, but wasn’t able to take the lead in the fourth quarter.
Hall remained winless on the season with a 19-7 loss to Erie-Prophetstown last week. The Red Devils trailed 13-0 at the end of the third quarter, but struck first in the fourth quarter on a 33-yard TD pass to trim the Panthers’ lead to 13-7. Erie-Prophetstown would answer back with a score later in the fourth to put the game away.
Picks
Ty: Mendota
Greg: Mendota
Mitch: Mendota
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.