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The Moline Maroons are making sure their absence from the playoffs does not become an ongoing thing.  After just missing out by going 4-5 last season, they became playoff-eligible by dominating the first half against rival United Township, leading 21-0 at halftime, and holding on for a 28-14 win at Browning Field on Friday night.  Moline is now 5-2 (3-1 in Western Big 6 play) with two games left and has a realistic chance to host an opening-round playoff contest.

While the defeat for the Panthers (3-4, 2-3) made their road to their first playoff berth since 2001 more difficult, they can still get in if they win their final two contests.  Their strength of schedule all but guarantees they would make the playoffs at 5-4, while providing at least a slight chance they could get in if they finish 4-5.

RB Adrian Cooper and the Maroons ran all over the Panthers in the first half.  Cooper scored on runs of 36 and 17 yards, while QB Eli Taylor threw 46 yards to Alex Rubingh for a TD with 21 seconds remaining in the second quarter.  Cooper finished with 145 yards rushing on 19 carries.

The Panthers fought back in the third quarter.  QB Christian Peterson ran 66 yards for a touchdown, and threw a 35-yard scoring pass to WR Cohen Parsons to cut the margin to 21-14.  But Moline ended hopes of a Panther comeback, as Taylor threw his second TD of the night, 28 yards to Zak Sierra with just over 8 minutes left in the game.

Overall, Moline ran for 266 yards and outgained UT in total yardage, 358 to 261.

Moline visits Galesburg (1-6, 0-4) before finishing the regular season at home vs Sterling (4-3, 3-1).  United Township faces a huge game at 8-0 Eau Claire (WI) St. Regis, Friday at 5:00 p.m. on QCSportsNet.com.  The Ramblers are coming off a bye week after winning by forfeit.

Rock Island’s defense set up a touchdown and stopped two would-be Galesburg TD drives, while the offense produced several clutch plays in a 13-6 win over the Silver Streaks, the Rocks’ first win of the 2024 season.

After Galesburg took a 6-0 lead with a TD drive that used more than 7 minutes of clock time, the Rocks responded with a 75-yard drive of their own, including two 10-yard passes to Avian Thomas, and capped off by V-Jay Garrard’s 26-yard scoring run on an end around for a 7-6 advantage with 5:42 left in the second quarter.  Galesburg then drove near midfield, but Thomas picked off Caden Riley’s pass, returning it 43 yards to the Streaks’ 22 yard line.  Thomas was one of four winners of the Rock Island Rocks Hungry Hobo Player of the Game.  On the next play, QB Jae’Vion Clark-Pugh found WR Evan Ellis in the right corner of the end zone for a 22-yard TD, putting the Rocks up 13-6 at the half.

It looked like the Rocks might increase their lead, when Clark-Pugh scrambled brilliantly, avoiding the sack three separate times, finding Ellis open in the left flat.  Ellis picked up a couple of downfield blocks and headed down the sideline, being tackled at the 9 yard line and sustaining an injury that kept him out for the duration of the game.  Ellis finished with 117 yards on 7 catches and was also a co-winner of the Hungry Hobo award.  But the drive stalled and the ball on Jonas Cortez’ 34-yard field goal try clanged off the right upright and fell in the end zone, no good, with 6:00 left in the third.

After an exchange of punts, Galesburg drove to the Rocks’ 6, but on third-and-goal, the shotgun snap sailed over Riley’s head, and after a mad scramble, Damauri McCaw recovered the fumble for the Rocks at their 25.  Rock Island punted again, and Galesburg again drove into Rocks’ territory.  Facing 3^rd-and-long from the 33 yard line, Riley threw his second interception as Santana Smith jumped the route and Rock Island took over at their 35 with 5:17 left in the fourth quarter.

On the ensuing possession, Rock Island couldn’t move the ball at all, and lined up to punt on 4^th-and-13 from their 32 yard line.  Then came the boldest play of the game.  Clark-Pugh lined up to punt, but instead threw an 18-yard completion to WR Eric Hillyer for a first down at midfield.  From there, Isaiss Duarte was inserted into the lineup and turned in runs of 9, 10, 5, and then 14 yards for a first down that clinched the victory.  Clark-Pugh finished 9-of-12 passing for 141 yards and a TD.  He and Duarte were also named Hungry Hobo Players of the Game.

Rock Island (1-6, 1-3 in the Western Big 6) visits Sterling (4-3, 3-1) next Friday, with the Golden Warriors coming off a crushing 63-6 defeat at Quincy, in which the Blue Devils led 56-6 at halftime.  Galesburg (1-6, 0-4) will host Moline (5-2, 3-1).

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.