Week 3 in the TRAC brings the final week of early-season crossover matchups, ahead of divisional play getting underway next week.
With a forfeit win over Sherrard this week, Rockridge became the first team in IHSA football history to clinch a postseason berth in August when the Rockets officially indicated they would not be picking up a game earlier this week. Riverdale and Erie-Prophetstown have a chance to join the Rockets at the new three-win threshold to guarantee a playoff spot.
WRMJ’s Ty Taylor and Jim Taylor are joined by View from the West Podcast co-hosts Greg Armstrong and Mitch Stoermer, Matt Randazzo, and Brian Stocking to preview and predict this week’s action.
Standings after Week 2
| Place | Picker | Record |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jim | 10-2 |
| 2 | Ty | 9-3 |
| T3 | Greg | 7-5 |
| T3 | Dazzo | 7-5 |
| T3 | Stocking | 7-5 |
| 6 | Mitch | 6-6 |
Game of the Week: Princeton (1-1, 0-0 TRAC Mississippi) @ Newman (1-1, 0-0 TRAC Rock) – Friday 7 p.m.
In a battle of teams projected to battle for conference championships, Princeton and Newman are each looking to get above .500 heading into divisional play next week.
Princeton used a big second half to pull away from Mercer County and win 49-14 in Week 2. The game was tied 14-14 with 1:54 to play in the second quarter, before the Tigers scored the final 35 points of the night. Princeton rushed for 406 yards as a team in the win. Brennen Emmett ran for 138 yards and three scores, while Reece Perason added 132 rushing yards and two TDs for the Tigers. Princeton erupted for 49 points last week after being held scoreless until the fourth in a season-opening 28-14 loss to Riverdale the previous week. Princeton starts its divisional schedule at Monmouth-Roseville in Week 4.
Newman got knocked off by Kewanee 17-10 on the road last week. The Comets led 10-0 with 10:12 to play in the first half, but were then blanked for the final 34:48 of the game. Rylan Alvarado scored on a 61-yard TD run early in the first quarter and finished with 84 yards in the loss. Unfortunately, the Comets likely will be playing shorthanded for the next few weeks after quarterback Renner Rosenegren and top running back Matthew Blackert had to leave last week’s loss with injuries. The Comets open Rock Division play next week at home against Erie-Prophetstown.
Picks
Ty: Princeton
Jim: Newman
Greg: Princeton
Mitch: Princeton
Dazzo: Newman
Stocking: Princeton
Monmouth-Roseville (0-2, 0-0 TRAC Mississippi) @ Mercer County (1-1, 0-0 TRAC Rock) – Friday 7:30 p.m.
Mercer County and Monmouth-Roseville will both try to build positive momentum heading into divisional play following losses last week.
Mercer County suffered its first loss of the season in Week 2, falling to Princeton 49-14. The Golden Eagles scored on two explosive touchdown plays in the first half – a 50-yard run by Eli Boswell and a 41-yard pass from Cannon Link to Braydan Smith – to tie the game 14-14 with just under two minutes to play in the first half. After knotting the game up, Mercer County was outscored 35-0 the rest of the night. Boswell rushed for 110 yards in the loss, and Mercer County’s defense forced another turnover, its fourth in the first two games of the season, but allowed 40+ points for the eighth time in the last nine games dating back to last year. The Golden Eagles play at Rockridge next week.
Monmouth-Roseville dropped to 0-2 following a lopsided 56-8 loss to Rockridge at home last week. The Titans mustered just 90 yards of total offense in the setback, and their only touchdown came on a kickoff return by Zane Mason. In addition to the 56 points it gave up, Monmouth-Roseville’s defense allowed 470 yards of total offense and 313 rushing yards to the Rockets. Landon Montroy gained 52 yards on the ground, which was more than half of Monmouth-Roseville’s offensive output. The Titans will look to get in the win column ahead of a big test in their Mississippi Division opener next week at home against Princeton.
Picks
Ty: Mercer County
Jim: Mercer County
Greg: Monmouth-Roseville
Mitch: Monmouth-Roseville
Dazzo: Monmouth-Roseville
Stocking: Monmouth-Roseville
Hall (0-2, 0-0 TRAC Mississippi) @ Orion (1-1, 0-0 TRAC Rock) – Friday 7 p.m.
Orion hosts Hall in a game where both teams have an opportunity to take a big step towards a playoff berth.
Orion picked up its first win under first-year head coach Matt McClean last week by beating Sherrard 46-6. The Chargers scored on their first offensive play with 9:13 to play in the first quarter to take a 7-0 lead. Aidan Leingang rushed for five TDs in the rout. Outside of Leingang’s five scores, Jackson Noyd returned a punt for a touchdown, and Blake Arnold connected with Aaron Mohr on a TD pass for the Chargers. Orion didn’t allow points until Sherrard scored on the final play of the game. With Orion’s next four games being against Riverdale, Erie-Prophetstown, Newman, and Rockridge in order, Week 3 feels like a big one for the Chargers.
Hall fell to 0-2 in a 39-14 loss to Riverdale last week. The Red Devils trailed 33-0 at halftime and gave up 407 rushing yards in the loss. Hall came up just short of winning its season opener in a 46-44 overtime loss to Mercer County, and is now faced with a road test to try to avoid beginning the season 0-3. The Red Devils start Mississippi Division play traveling to Mendota in Week 4.
Picks
Ty: Orion
Jim: Orion
Greg: Orion
Mitch: Orion
Dazzo: Hall
Stocking: Orion
Kewanee (1-1, 0-0 TRAC Mississippi) @ Erie-Prophetstown (2-0, 0-0 TRAC Rock) – Friday 7:30 p.m.
Kewanee hits the road to take on Erie-Prophetstown in a matchup featuring a pair of teams looking to continue strong starts to the 2026 season.
Kewanee picked up a signature win last week, beating Newman 17-10 at home. The win, which came over the then-ranked No. 5 team in 2A, snapped an 11-game losing streak for the Boilermakers and was the program’s first win since Oct. 25, 2024. Kewanee turned heads with a four-point loss to Rockridge in Week 1, where the Boilermakers led in the game’s final minute but were unable to hold on. In the win over Newman, freshman QB Cruse Cernovich connected with Chris Crowe on a 37-yard TD pass late in the first half, and Ace LaFalleette gave Kewanee its first lead of the night, 14-10, on a 1-yard TD run with 9:17 to play in the third quarter. The Boilermakers erased a 10-0 deficit in the win. Currently, Kewanee is slated to receive a forfeit win over Sherrard to begin Mississippi Division play next week.
Erie-Prophetstown is one of just three teams in the TRAC to make it through the first two weeks of the season unscathed. The Panthers followed up a tight Week 1 win over Monmouth-Roseville with a 27-7 victory of Mendota last week. The Panthers trailed 7-0 at halftime, but then outscored the Trojans 27-0 in the second half. In the second half, Erie-Prophetstown scored on a TD run by quarterback Evan Steimle, an interception return by Lane Decker, a TD pass from Steimle to Caleb Brown, and a TD pass and run from Steimle to Decker. The Panthers will try to head into their Rock Division opener at Newman next week with a 3-0 record.
Picks
Ty: Kewanee
Jim: Kewanee
Greg: Kewanee
Mitch: Erie-Prophetstown
Dazzo: Erie-Prophetstown
Stocking: Erie-Prophetstown
Mendota (1-1, 0-0 TRAC Mississippi) @ Riverdale (2-0, 0-0 TRAC Rock) – Friday 7:30 p.m.
Riverdale and Mendota are squaring off this week with the Rams freshly into the Class 2A state rankings.
Riverdale vaulted in the Illinois Media Class 2A state rankings this week (No. 8) after a 39-14 win over Hall in Week 2. The Rams jumped out to a 33-0 lead at halftime in the victory. Riverdale racked up 441 yards of total offense in the win, including 407 rushing yards. The offense was led by quarterback Abram Krier, who rushed for 176 yards and two TDs and threw a TD pass as well. Lucas Dunbar added 134 yards and two scores on the ground. Riverdale has allowed its opponents to score just two touchdowns in each of its two games so far this season. The Rams play at Orion next week.
Mendota dropped its first game of the season last week to Erie-Prophetstown 27-7. Despite throwing two interceptions in the first half, the Trojans held a 7-0 lead at the break but were outscored 27-0 in the second half. Mendota’s offense struggled mightily in the game, turning the ball over eight times in the loss. The Trojans begin play in the Mississippi Division next week at home against Hall.
Picks
Ty: Riverdale
Jim: Riverdale
Greg: Riverdale
Mitch: Riverdale
Dazzo: Riverdale
Stocking: Riverdale