Geneseo's Collin Akers eyes extra yardage while bursting through a hole in last Saturday's 26-7 win over Mount Vernon. After securing a Top 5 finish in the QC Prep Football Power Poll, Akers and the Leafs are looking for even more now, with the playoffs starting this weekend.
By Steve Tappa, stappa@qconline.com
Moline Dispatch/Rock Island Argus sportswriter
Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2009, 11:55 p.m.
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Final-week losses barely cost Sherrard and Mercer County in the final Quad Cities Prep Football Power Poll of the season.
Both playoff-bound teams remained in the 10th and final Top 10 of the season for the weekly presentation by WQAD-TV 8, Mediacom Connections 22, WFXN-AM 1230 and The Dispatch and The Rock Island Argus newspapers.
Sherrard was stopped 40-12 Saturday on the road by Chicagoland toughie Walther Lutheran. Mercer County fell to 2008 Illinois Class 1A state champ Stark County, 26-19 Friday to force a three-way tie atop the Northwest Division of the West Prairie Trail Conference.
Sherrard slipped from 5th to 6th because of the weekend setback. Mercer County tumbled from 6th to 10th, trailing both No. 8 Annawan-Wethersfield and No. 9 Alexis United by mere voting points, with a panel of local sportswriters and broadcasters perhaps forgetting the Eagles beat both teams this season.
Otherwise, little changed with Mississippi Athletic Conference champ Clinton (9-0) finishing the regular-season as the top-ranked team for the sixth straight week just ahead of No. 2 Rock Island (8-1).
Rock Island's Chris Glover (26) runs up the sideline Friday, chased by Moline's Austin Odle during first quarter action at Browning Field. Glover scored three times, and won the Western Big 6 Conference scoring title in the process, as the Rocks completed back-to-back outright league championships for the first time since 2000-01.
By Steve Tappa, stappa@qconline.com
Moline Dispatch/Rock Island Argus sportswriter
Posted Online: Oct. 18, 2009, 11:29 p.m.
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First came a playoff-qualifying victory two weekends ago. Next followed a conference championship-clincher over the weekend.
Now, the Annawan-Wethersfield Titans are realizing another highlight today — earning their initial Top 10 ranking this season in the Quad Cities Prep Football Power Poll.
Not bad for a team that received votes in the preseason, but was dismissed until last week by local voters following a 33-0, second-week loss to current No. 6-Mercer County.
First-year coach Brandon Johnston’s 7-1 club climbed a notch, and into the No. 10 spot this week, despite a 13-1 weekend out of the team’s in last week’s presentation by WQAD-TV 8, Mediacom Connections 22, WFXN-AM 1230 and The Dispatch and The Rock Island Argus newspapers.
However, that lone loss was suffered by state-rated Alleman (5-3), which fell 29-14 at Quincy (7-1). Despite a third setback this season to a state-rated squad, the Pioneers tumbled out of the Top 10 and into the “others receiving votes” category.
Otherwise, little changed in the eyes of a panel of local sportswriters and broadcasters.
Orion's Evan Viager (40) is swarmed by Sherrard's Derek Mizaur (44) and another Tiger tackler in action Friday. Orion's 36-14 loss to Sherrard, in a battle of unbeatens for the Olympic Conference title, was one of the decisions that shook up this week's QC Prep Football Power Poll.
By Steve Tappa, stappa@qconline.com
Moline Dispatch/Rock Island Argus sportswriter
Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2009, 9:47 p.m.
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The 15 teams receiving voting consideration in last week’s Quad Cities Prep Football Power Poll combined for a 7-8 record over the weekend.
What’s more, three of those losers — Orion, Alexis United and Bureau Valley — were head-to-head victims of a fellow Top 11 team.
Yet, with all five squads in last week’s “others receiving votes” category suffering setbacks during “Decision Week ‘09,” the Top 10 teams in this week’s local rankings are the same from a week ago.
Oh, to be sure, there was some movement in the weekly presentation by WQAD-TV 8, Mediacom Connections 22, WFXN-AM 1230 and The Dispatch and The Rock Island Argus newspapers.
Alleman's Kevin McGinnis (9) tries to pull down Rock Island's Chris Glover (26) as he heads to the sidelines during first-half action Friday. Trailing 10-7 with seven minutes left in the fourth quarter, Rocky scored twice, including with 23 seconds left, for a 20-13 win in the intra-city battle between state-ranked prep football squads.
By Steve Tappa, stappa@qconline.com
Moline Dispatch/Rock Island Argus sportswriter
Posted Online: Oct. 04, 2009, 7:30 p.m.
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For the second straight weekend, a state-ranked squad is debuting in the Top 10 of the Quad Cities Prep Football Power Poll.
And just like Sherrard last week, Alexis United joins the local picking party at No. 10 today after checking in at No. 11 the previous week.
A 6-0 start, the first-ever since Alexis and Monmouth Warren joined forces in 2004, certainly helped coach Tim Engebretson’s crew steadily climb in the weekly presentation by WQAD-TV 8, Mediacom Connections 22, WFXN-AM 1230 and The Dispatch and The Rock Island Argus newspapers.
A 3-0 loss to unheralded Davenport Central, by former No. 8 Pleasant Valley, also opened the Top 10 window of opportunity for United, ranked fifth last week in the Class 1A Associated Press statewide poll.
Otherwise, little change was seen in a 12-2 week for the teams receiving voting consideration last week by our panel of local sportswriters and broadcasters.
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