It’s Week 7 of our 11th high school football season, and we’ve got two big conference games, with Moline (4-2) looking to become playoff eligible, hosting a 3-3 UT squad hungry for the school’s first playoff berth since 2001. Rocky (0-6) looks to get its first win, hosting Galesburg (1-5). Here are the links for Friday night’s 7:00 games:

NOTE TO PANTHERS & MAROONS FANS: Click on *your* school to link to *your* broadcast. Joe Winkel has the Panthers play-by-play, with Grant Dahlstrom on the call for the Maroons.
United Township at Moline
Galesburg at Rock Island
Panthers presented by Van Hoe Funeral Home; Maroons presented by Sexton Ford; Rocks presented by Wheelan-Pressly

This is the link to the FULL COURT PRESS live stream.

You can catch the podcast of past episodes here:  Full Court Press Podcasts

This is the place for QCSportsNet’s live, local sports talk show featuring some of the biggest names in the history of Quad Cities sports media.  Our next show is this Wednesday (October 9th) at 7:00 p.m., live from Riverfront Grille in Rock Island.

* Moline Football Coach Mike Morrissey
* United Township Football Coach Nick Welch
The Maroons (4-2) want back in after a 1-year absence.  The Panthers (3-3) want to break a 23-year drought.  We’ll learn how both teams are getting ready for this big game.
*Co-hosts Johnny Marx and Ken Jacoby

PRESENTED BY charter sponsors Godfather’s Pizza in Silvis, Crawford Company, Neil Ferrari State Farm Insurance, Wheelan-Pressly, and Hungry Hobo.  Limited additional sponsorship opportunities are available by contacting Ken Jacoby at (309) 912-5135 or ken@qcsportsnet.com.

United Township survived a potential disaster, throwing interceptions on their first two pass attempts, setting up Rock Island in their territory.  The Panthers kept the game scoreless until their offense could get going, while being helped with a defensive touchdown of their own.  UT (3-3, 2-2 in Western Big 6 play) beat Rocky (0-6, 0-3) 34-7 to keep their playoff hopes alive.  For Rock Island, celebrating 125 years of football, the 0-6 start is the worst in school history, surpassing the 1930 squad that began 0-5-1 and finished 1-7-2. 

The Rocks, consistently starting first half drives in UT territory, were held without any first downs not achieved by defensive penalties until 1:21 left in the half.  They got their second first down, to the UT 27, with 1:09 left, then used 31 seconds to throw an incomplete pass with :38 left.  On the ensuing play, Isaiss Duarte was thrown for a 2-yard loss on a running play, and the Rocks did not use their final time out, draining the clock to :02 before the Panthers called time to get organized for a last-second play.  Then the Rocks changed gears, missing a 46-yard field goal as time expired, trailing 13-0 at the half.  The Panthers had scored on an Isaiah Navarette 12-yard run and a Prince Davis 59-yard fumble return.

UT put the game away in the third quarter, as Navarrette ran for his second TD, followed by a successful onside kickoff and a 50-yard catch and run by Jasiah Massey, on a ball thrown by Christian Peterson.  That made the score 27-0 late in the period.  Leo Sim added a 43-yard TD run before the Rocks got on the board in the fourth with a 31-yard TD strike from Jae’Vion Clark-Pugh to Dai’Shaun McCaw.

Navarrette finished with 132 yards on 26 carries.  The Panthers were held to 244 total yards, but their defense was stellar, limiting Rock Island to a 112-yard output.

The Panthers need two wins in their last three games to reach playoff eligibility and perhaps make the playoffs for the first time since 2001.  They visit 4-2 Moline next Friday, then go to Wisconsin to take on unbeaten small school Eau Claire Regis, before finishing at home against 1-5 Galesburg.

The Rocks host Galesburg next Friday, then finish up at Sterling and home vs Geneseo.

Rock Island (0-5, 0-2) is looking for a repeat of 2023, when the Rocks were winless but upended the playoff chances for United Township (2-3, 1-2) with an upset victory. Game time is 7:00 tonight. Ken Jacoby has the Rocky play-by-play, while Joe Winkel is at the mic for UT. Here are the links:

Rock Island broadcast presented by Wheelan-Pressly
United Township broadcast presented by Van Hoe

Moline climbed within one win of playoff eligibility, overrunning winless Harvey Thornton Township, 56-3, in a game played Thursday night at Browning Field due to a shortage of officials for Friday.  With the dominating win, the Maroons improve to 4-2 on the season, while Thornton drops to 0-6.

Sophomore RB Marc Cary (6 yards) and RB Adrian Cooper (26 yards) scored on consecutive possessions in the first quarter for a 14-0 lead.  Cary added his second TD, an 11-yard run, early in the second.  He finished with 87 yards on 9 runs and now has 5 scores, 552 yards rushing, and is averaging 8.2 yards per carry.  Before halftime, offensive lineman Jenaro Sepeda scored on a 1-yard run and earned Godfather’s Pizza Moline Maroons Player of the Game honors; Cooper returned a blocked punt 31 yards to the end zone; and Elijah Taylor threw a 53-yard TD bomb to WR Marcus McQueen for his first score of the year.

The Maroons led 42-0 at the half, and the teams played with a continuous clock in the second half.  Stanley Golden (12 yards) and Sam Ngongo (31 yards) added fourth quarter touchdown runs. 

Having matched last season’s win total, Moline has games remaining against United Township (next Friday night), Galesburg, and Sterling, as the Maroons look to secure a playoff berth after going 4-5 and missing out last season.