QCSportsNet - The Quad Cities Live Local Sports Leader

All season long, Moline Boys Basketball has obliterated the record books over the 9-year history of QCSportsNet.com, with the top 5 audiences ever for regular season basketball (and 10 of the top 11) being Moline games this season. Monday’s Super Sectional blew away not just our all-time record, but the all-time record listening audience for ANY station served by our nationwide live stream provider, Network1Sports.  This is your VERY LAST CHANCE to be a part of the Final Four broadcasts.

Click on Download above for all the info, contact ken@qcsportsnet.com, or call (309) 912-5135.

5:30 Pre-Game 6:00 Girls Game Halftime 3-Point Shootout 7:30 Boys Game Halftime Slam Dunk Contest

Link to the Live Stream: Iowa vs Illinois COME BACK/REFRESH FOR UPDATES and follow on Twitter @QCSportsNet

https://qcsportsnet.com/2570-2/

Links to live streams: Games at Carver Center at Augustana College Games at Wharton Field House

Saturday’s Schedule at Carver Center: FINAL – Mercer Co. 38, Davenport West 35 FINAL – Assumption 50, Annawan 35 FINAL – Dav. Central 62, United Township 38 FINAL (OT) – Bettendorf 49, Sherrard 47 FINAL – Rock Island 42, Pleasant Valley 41 FINAL – Geneseo 69, North Scott 52 Saturday’s Schedule at Wharton: FINAL – Wilton 75, Galva 28 FINAL – West Liberty 57, Rockridge 33 FINAL – Davenport North 68, Alleman 41 FINAL – Central DeWitt 64, Moline 48 REFRESH THIS PAGE OFTEN, AND GET TIMELY UPDATES THROUGHOUT THE SHOOTOUT ON TWITTER @QCSPORTSNET

https://qcsportsnet.com/2627-2/

Fri Aug 27
Pekin at Rock Island  —  Pekin 21, Rock Island 0
Urbandale at Bettendorf  — Urbandale 13, Bettendorf 3
Pleasant Valley at CR Prairie  —  Prairie 27, PV 21
Davenport North at North Scott  —  N Scott 41, North 7
Moline at Burbank St. Laurence  —  Moline 28, St. Laurence 7

Sat Aug 28
Chicago Lindblom at United Township (1:00)  —  UT 46, Lindblom 0

Fri Sep 3
Rock Island at Dunlap  —  Rocky 32, Dunlap 14
Bettendorf at Cedar Rapids Kennedy  —  Kennedy 28, Bettendorf 7
Dubuque Hempstead at Pleasant Valley  —  PV 35, Hempstead 0
Davenport West at Davenport North  —  North 17, West 14
Lisle Benet Academy at Moline  —  Benet 23, Moline 21
United Township at East Peoria (7:30)  —  UT 52, E Peoria 20

Fri Sep 10
Rock Island at Alleman  —  Rocky 56, Alleman 0
Muscatine at Bettendorf  —  Bettendorf 27, Muscatine 6
Linn-Mar at Pleasant Valley  —  Linn-Mar 18, PV 7
Dubuque Senior at Davenport North  —  Dubuque 27, North 23
Moline at Quincy  —  Moline 48, Quincy 35
United Township at Geneseo  —  UT 22, Geneseo 17

Fri Sep 17
Rock Island at Moline  —  Moline 63, Rocky 0
Bettendorf at CR Prairie  —  Prairie 54, Bettendorf 20
Pleasant Valley at Muscatine  —  PV 42, Muscatine 0
Davenport North at Iowa City West  —  North 23, IC West 10
Quincy at United Township  —  Quincy 48, UT 14

Fri Sep 24
United Township at Rock Island  —  Rocky 40, UT 6
Moline at Alleman  —  Moline 56, Alleman 0
Bettendorf at Davenport Central  —  Bettendorf 45, Central 7
Davenport North at Pleasant Valley  —  PV 44, North 0

Thu Sep 30
Iowa City High at Davenport North  — IC 42, North 0

Fri Oct 1
Rock Island at Galesburg  —  RI 33, Galesburg 30 (OT)
Pleasant Valley at Bettendorf  —  PV 14, Bett 13
Moline at United Township  —  Moline 41, UT 0

Fri Oct 8
Sterling at Rock Island  —  Sterling 56, Rocky 35
United Township at Alleman  —  UT 48, Alleman 7
Bettendorf at Iowa City West  —  Bettendorf 1, IC West 0 (forfeit)
Iowa City High at Pleasant Valley  —  PV 31, IC High 14
Davenport Central at Davenport North  —  North 34, Central 19
Galesburg at Moline  —  Moline 27, Galesburg 0

Fri Oct 15
Rock Island at Geneseo  —  Rocky 48, Geneseo 7
Cedar Falls at Bettendorf  —  Bett 28, Cedar Falls 0
Davenport North at Muscatine  —  North 34, Muscatine 13
Pleasant Valley at Dubuque Senior  —  PV 28, Senior 14
Moline at Sterling  —  Moline 38, Sterling 7
United Township at Galesburg  —  Galesburg 17, UT 8

Fri Oct 22
Quincy at Rock Island  —  Rocky 56, Quincy 26
Bettendorf at Davenport North  —  Bett 17, North 10
Pleasant Valley at Iowa City West  —  PV 41, IC West 20
Geneseo at Moline  —  Moline 28, Geneseo 13
Sterling at United Township  —  Sterling 38, UT 27

Fri Oct 29
IHSA Playoffs (Round of 32)  —  @Moline 48, Hampshire 42
IHSA Playoffs (Round of 32)  —  Springfield 94, @Rock Island 72
IHSAA Playoffs (Round of 16)  —  @CR Prairie 24, Bettendorf 6
IHSAA Playoffs (Round of 16)  —  @Pleasant Valley 42, Cedar Falls 14 

Fri Nov 5
IHSA Playoffs (Round of 16)  —  @Willowbrook 30, Moline 26
IHSAA Playoffs (Quarterfinals)  —  @WDM Valley 40, Pleasant Valley 14

Player Profile: Antwan Hawthorne

By Joe Winkel    @JoeTheShowQCSN

When studying United Township senior captain Antwan Hawthorne, it is easy to take many life lessons from his journey. Hawthorne has experienced many things in his young life. Having learned from mistakes, he now takes every day to cherish the opportunity he has been given.

During the spring Hawthorne was mainly given spot reps and played special teams for the Panthers, but he did not waver, when given his chance to fully grasp a two way starting role he made the best of his moment over the summer. Hawthorne is someone who looks up to and values many people in his life, and the last two graduation classes for the Panthers football program make up a huge chunk of that. He spoke about how they set an example for him on how to carry himself as well as how to lead the younger classes now at UT. “Last year (the seniors) set an example for me, as someone who got scout reps and being close with all the varsity boys it put me in the position I am now.” Head Coach Nick Welch says how impressed he is with how Antwan is now becoming a lead-by-example player for his program, and how his effort and attitude are what you can build a successful program off of. “That attitude and mindset goes a long way in developing a program and a culture that is successful. Two of the things that are most important to great programs are effort and attitude. We talk about that all the time because a lot of things in life are out of your control but you can always control your effort and your attitude. I hope the young guys realize that it takes a conscious effort to do things right on a day to day basis in order to become a successful player. Those traits are obviously critical in football but those traits will carry over in life which is even more important. I think the way Antwan approaches football will transition to life as he becomes a young adult.”

Sometimes it isn’t about what you do wrong, it is about how you learn from those mistakes and what you do after to improve yourself and your life. Consider Hawthorne a prime example of someone who can bounce back and be a bright light for a program and a community. “I feel like the struggles I went through early in my life prepared me and gave me the mentality to just work…my past really helped me out with football, it all transfers over,” said the senior captain. Hawthorne has turned things around and now views every day he puts the pads on as a new opportunity to make right. “I see it as a privilege, I don’t use football to get away from anything. I am really big on reality…I feel like I am allowed to play this game, I take it as a privilege and I give it my all.” A privilege, a powerful statement. One that can be used for anybody in any walk of life. Antwan is someone that has shown that bouncing back is the easy part. It is the work you put in and how you take every single day as an opportunity to do right that is the challenge, and Hawthorne is taking each step the right way and Coach Welch believes those steps are what led to him being voted one of the four captains for this year’s varsity team.

“Since I met Antwan in the Spring of 2019 I’ve gotten to know a young man with a very unique life experience that many wouldn’t believe. He has faced a significant amount of adversity throughout his life but he doesn’t let that impact his positive mindset and attitude. Antwan has been very dedicated to football and it is clear it is something he is passionate about without question. His commitment to the football program and his teammates is what put him into a position to be a captain of this team. His work ethic and positive attitude are two of his leadership traits that stand out the most.” Hawthorne also mentioned the family members in his life that have paved a way for him to learn and become a better person and football player. “My mom and my sister as well as my uncles, they are all big supporters. My mom has always been a hard worker, growing up with her you have to put the work in like her. She always showed us hard work will get you whatever you want. She helped put me in this position now to be able to play this game, and I just want to take it as far as I can.”

Hawthorne has made an impact already in the short season. Last week in his first varsity start, he tormented the opposition with a huge first half on defense, and closed the show with two huge catches (one for a touchdown) from the tight end position. Coach Welch mentioned how Hawthorne sets a high standard for himself, and he talked about what he expects for his captain throughout the year as conference play kicks off tonight. “The first thing that is important to understand is that Antwan has high expectations for himself. He expects to perform at a high level and contribute to our team’s success and that is critical for our development this year. We need him to be a physical football player on both sides of the ball as the tight end and defensive end position require it for success on offense and defense. His biggest development has been the addition of his receiving skillset which wasn’t quite as good his first couple of years, but he’s worked really hard at it. In our offense someone with his size, strength, speed, and now his hands make him a dynamic threat. As we continue to go throughout the season I would expect him to have a lot of catches as well as being a focal point in our run game with his physicality. On defense, he needs to continue to work on using his hands and developing a set of moves that he can use to make plays. We have seen his impact on the running game early on as it is difficult for tight ends and tackles to block him 1 v 1. He has improved significantly in his pass rush but we want to continue to hone those skills as he gets more comfortable reading blocks and identifying whether it is a pass or a run more quickly. I’ll be curious to see as we get into WB6 as teams have shown more likelihood to pass how he is able to make an impact on that side of the ball.” Coach was right about the high expectations that Hawthorne puts on himself. He spoke on some goals he has for himself and the team this season, “As a tight end, a goal I set even in a run heavy team I want to be leading receiver in a few games, that is a small goal for myself. Overall goal I want to be the best that I can, I want to be better than anyone who lines up against me.” Hawthorne also mentions how “confidence is key” to his success on the field. The way he carries himself and how he works on and off the field it is very easy to see the confidence illuminating off of him. Hawthorne also remembers what those before him left as an example for him, and he wants to build off of those bricks and try to lead this program to new heights. “I just want to take it further than the seniors last year were allowed to because of the shortened season.”

Life punches real hard sometimes. The question is, how do you respond? In the case of this young man, he learned from his mistakes and he is now someone the entire UTHS community can be proud of. His story is powerful, his attitude is contagious, and he has a bright future ahead of him. Anyone from any walk of life and any age group can read this and hopefully you take this with it; when Antwan mentioned how it is a privilege to play the game he loves, it spoke more than words. It shows that every day you are given a chance to do wrong or right, and that no matter what you can move forward with choices you made before and better yourself to become better. That is what Antwan did. We should take his story as a gift to show us that no one is perfect, but we sure can strive to use people in our life to motivate us and better us for the future as well as inspire those around us to be great. Use each day as a privilege to be the best version of yourself and who knows where that can take you, because that is what Antwan Hawthorne has done, and with that, sooner rather than later he is going to be a household name in the Western Big 6.