The final week of the 2024 regular season is all about playoff positioning in the TRAC.
Two weeks ago, there was a (slim) chance of eight conference teams finding a way to five wins, but after Mercer County and Riverdale were knocked out of playoff contention last week, the maximum number of TRAC postseason qualifiers is down to six. Princeton, Monmouth-Roseville, Newman and Rockridge all have the required 6+ wins to lock up a postseason berth. With the likely need for a handful of 4-5 teams to round out the 256-team playoff field again this year, Erie-Prophetstown’s five wins will have the Panthers in the postseason. Kewanee (4-4) is the only team in the league playing for a playoff berth in Week 9.
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.
PROGRAMMING NOTE: We’ll continue with playoff previews and picks as long as TRAC teams are alive.
Standings after Week 8
| Place | Picker | Record |
| 1 | Ty | 39-9 |
| 2 | Greg | 38-10 |
| T3 | Jim | 36-12 |
| T3 | Mitch | 36-12 |
Game of the Week: Monmouth-Roseville (7-1, 5-0 TRAC Mississippi) @ Newman (7-1, 5-0 TRAC Rock) – Friday 7 p.m.
Preview
Newman used a big second half to roll past Kewanee 34-14 last week. After trailing 14-13 at halftime, the Comets outscored the Boilermakers 21-0 over the third and fourth quarters. Newman took the lead for good on a 35-yard touchdown pass from George Jungerman to Matthew Blackert with 7:45 left in the third quarter. Jungerman finished 5-6 passing for 92 yards and three TDs. He also rushed for a score in the win. Briar Ivey led the Comets on the ground with 70 yards on 10 carries. Newman enters Week 9 on a seven-game winning streak after losing to Princeton in the season opener.
Monmouth-Roseville suffered its first loss in a 28-18 setback to Rockridge in Week 8. The Titans trailed 14-12 at halftime and took their first lead of the game, 18-14, with a 21-yard TD run by Payton Thompson on a fourth-and-2 play with 7:32 left in the third quarter. Monmouth-Roseville’s lead lasted just 14 seconds, as the Titans allowed Rockridge to return the ensuing kickoff 95 yards for a TD. Monmouth-Roseville wasn’t able to score the rest of the game. Thompson finished with 38 yards and a TD on 10 carries. As a team, Monmouth-Roseville was limited to just 3.9 yards per carry and forced into attempting 17 passes, which doubled the team’s attempted passes for the season. Quarterback Andy Myers completed five of those attempts for 87 yards, one TD and two interceptions.
This Week 9 clash between division champions feels like the main event to a fun 2024 of TRAC football. The outcome for both teams is important with the winning team virtually guaranteeing themselves a home game in the first round of the playoffs. Newman, 1A north, and Monmouth-Roseville, 3A north, will enter loaded postseason brackets next week. The Comets will try to enter the playoffs on an eight-game winning streak, while the Titans will be looking to avoid a second straight loss heading into Week 10.
Picks
Ty: Monmouth-Roseville
Jim: Newman
Greg: Monmouth-Roseville
Mitch: Newman
Hall (2-6, 1-4 TRAC Mississippi) @ Rockridge (6-2, 4-1 TRAC Rock) – Friday 7 p.m.
Preview
Rockridge knocked off previously unbeaten Monmouth-Roseville 28-18 last week. The Rockets led 14-12 at halftime and only trailed for 14 seconds midway through the second half. After the Titans took an 18-14 lead with 7:32 remaining in the third quarter, Trevor Dye returned a kickoff 95 yards to put Rockridge ahead for good. Cullen Schwigen completed 15-22 passes for 221 yards and two TDs. He added a rushing score in the win. Owen Steele reeled in four receptions for 57 yards and a TD. Chase Wheatley also caught a TD pass for the Rockets. Rockridge’s defense limited Monmouth-Roseville to 169 rushing yards on 43 attempts, an average of just 3.9 yards per carry. The Titans entered Week 8 averaging 343 rushing yards per game and 8.0 yards per carry.
Hall played spoiler in a 35-32 takedown of Riverdale in Week 8. The Red Devils never trailed in the game, leading 14-6 at the end of the first quarter, 21-12 at halftime, and 28-18 at the end of the third. Hall’s defense came up with two stops in the final two minutes while nursing a three-point lead. Dylan Glynn intercepted a Riverdale pass with under 30 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to seal the win. Aiden Redcliff racked up 200 rushing yards on 31 carries for the Red Devils.
Coming off a signature win, Rockridge will try to extend its winning streak to four games to close the regular season. A 7-2 record would put Rockridge squarely on the bubble of playing at home in the first round of the 2A playoffs next weekend. Hall will be looking to build more momentum into the offseason after last week’s upset win over Riverdale.
Picks
Ty: Rockridge
Jim: Rockridge
Greg: Rockridge
Mitch: Rockridge
Mendota (0-8, 0-5 TRAC Mississippi) @ Mercer County (3-5, 2-3 TRAC Rock) – Friday 7 p.m.
Preview
Mercer County ended a tough week with a 57-20 loss at Princeton in Week 8. The Golden Eagles were unable to cover the opening kickoff, which led to Princeton scoring on its first offensive snap just 10 seconds into the game. The rout was on shortly thereafter as the Golden Eagles allowed Princeton to put up an eye-popping 57 points and 430 yards of total offense in the first half. John Baldwin led the Golden Eagles’ offense by completing 11-22 passes for 142 yards and a touchdown. He added two rushing TDs and 77 yards on nine carries in the loss. Dakota Coppola caught five passes for 97 yards and a TD for Mercer County. With last week’s loss, the Aledo/Westmer/Mercer County football program will miss the postseason for the first time since 1994.
Mendota dropped its home finale to Erie-Prophetstown 37-7 in Week 8. The Trojans trailed 6-0 at the end of the first quarter but allowed two more TDs in the second quarter to be faced with an 18-0 halftime deficit. The E-P lead ballooned to 30-0 at the end of the third quarter. Mendota scored its lone touchdown of the night when Aden Tillman connected with Rhett Watson on a 68-yard pass with 5:30 left in the game.
With no playoff implications for either team, both Mercer County and Mendota will be looking for a positive ending to difficult seasons.
Picks
Ty: Mercer County
Jim: Mercer County
Greg: Mercer County
Mitch: Mercer County
Sherrard (2-6, 2-3 TRAC Mississippi) @ Riverdale (3-5, 2-3 TRAC Rock) – Friday 7 p.m.
Preview
Sherrard lost to Orion 37-14 last week. The Tigers allowed the Chargers to open the scoring with 6:49 in the first quarter. Sherrard never tied the game or took the lead. After trailing 14-0 at halftime, Carter Brown scored on an 8-yard TD run with 4:08 to play in the third quarter to cut Orion’s lead to 14-7. The Tigers gave up three unanswered TDs before Garrett Woodward found the end zone on a 4-yard run with 1:16 left in the game.
Riverdale had its playoff hopes dashed in a 35-32 loss to Hall in Week 8. The Rams gave up a touchdown with 6:26 left in the first quarter to fall behind 7-0 and trailed the rest of the game. Riverdale trailed 14-6 at the end of the first quarter and faced a 21-12 deficit at halftime. Hall led by as many 17 points, 35-18, with 9:48 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Rams scored back-to-back touchdowns on passes of 14 yards and 77 yards from Kolton Kruse to Jackson Tegeler to close the game to 35-32, but couldn’t complete the fourth quarter comeback. Tegeler finished with four receptions for 152 yards and two TDs.
In Week 9, Sherrard will try to snap a three-game losing streak to close the season on a high note. Riverdale, even with a disappointing loss last week, made huge strides in 2024. With a strong, young nucleus of players set to return next year, the Rams will be looking to jumpstart an important offseason with a win at home.
Picks
Ty: Riverdale
Jim: Sherrard
Greg: Riverdale
Mitch: Riverdale
Kewanee (4-4, 3-2 TRAC Mississippi) @ Orion (2-6, 0-5 TRAC Rock) – Friday 7 p.m.
Preview
Orion snapped a six-game losing streak by defeating Sherrard 37-14 last week. Aiden Fisher rushed for three TDs in the win on carries of 2 yards, 7 yards, and 39 yards. Orion also scored on a pair of TD passes from Kale Filler to Jake Bainbridge. In the win, Bainbridge became Orion’s all-time leader in career receptions with 108. The Chargers never trailed in the game.
Kewanee took a 34-14 loss to Newman in Week 8. The Boilermakers were looking to punch their ticket to the playoffs but came up short in the second half. Kewanee led 14-13 at halftime but got outscored 21-0 in the second half. Kewanee’s scoring plays were 63-yard and 37-yard TD passes from Colson Welgat to Ace LaFaollette. Welgat finished 15-28 passing for 262 yards and two TDs.
It’s do-or-die for Kewanee in Week 9. With a win, the Boilermakers will qualify for the postseason. Orion will try to play spoiler to end the season at Charger Field.
Picks
Ty: Kewanee
Jim: Kewanee
Greg: Kewanee
Mitch: Kewanee
Princeton (7-1, 4-1 TRAC Mississippi) @ Erie-Prophetstown (5-3, 2-3 TRAC Rock)
Preview
Princeton took care of business in a 57-20 win over Mercer County last week. The Tigers racked up 57 points and produced 430 yards of total in the first half. Casey Etheridge rushed for 263 yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries. Ace Christiansen added 78 yards and two TDs on six carries. Noah LaPorte caught two passes for 34 yards and a TD in the win, but left the game in the second quarter with a shoulder injury. Princeton led 57-12 at halftime, which called for the entire second half to be played with a continuous clock.
Erie-Prophetstown punched its postseason ticket with a 37-7 victory over Mendota in Week 8. Demetree Larsen opened the scoring for the Panthers on an electric 76-yard TD on a jet sweep by breaking three tackles, reversing field and winning a footrace down the sideline. Keegan Winckler passed for a touchdown and rushed for three scores in the win. Evan Steimle intercepted a Mendota pass and returned it 30 yards for a TD in the third quarter.
Two playoff-bound teams will meet up in this one. Princeton will be looking to take an 8-1 record into a 3A north bracket that the Tigers are always a tough out in. Erie-Prophetstown will try to spring an upset and improve its seed in the 2A north field.
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.