Ottawa’s Mark Munson takes opening, final snap in Pirates season-ending victory

Ottawa senior quarterback Mark Munson, who was injured early in the season, was able to suit up and take the Pirates’ opening snap and final snap – both kneel-downs – in Friday’s game against Granite City.

“From the time we found out that Mark wasn’t going to be able to return to the field for us this season, we wanted to find a way to make his final game be as special as it could be,” Ottawa head coach Chad Gross said. “Granite City’s coach Steve Rustio was great about it. I mean, he didn’t even want to take the down away from us.

“Then, at the end of the game, we were in a position to have Mark go out and take the last snap in victory formation. It was a special moment for everyone.”

Gross said Munson, who finished his career second all-time in program history in completion percentage (99-of-165, 60%), was a huge asset in helping fellow senior and teammate Andrew Vercolio, who took over as signal-caller.

“Mark has been at every practice since the injury, other than a few days when he wasn’t feeling good,” Gross said. “Mark and Andrew are really good friends and worked together in the summer as quarterback/receiver. But when Mark’s injury happened and Andrew was stepping in at QB, Mark did everything he could to help Andrew in that transition.”

Marquette puts up third-most points in program history

The playoff-bound Crusaders put an exclamation point on the regular season Friday night at Morrison with a 66-23 victory.

The 66 points is the third-most any Marquette team has scored in a game and most since a 62-42 win in 2021 over Chicago Hope on Sept 24.

The all-time mark was set in 2016 with a 69-0 win over River Valley, with the runner-up total in a 68-20 triumph over Mooseheart in 2018.

FCW eying better opening-round result

Last season’s Illinois 8-Man Football Association playoff opener for Flanagan-Cornell/Woodland, like this year’s, was on the road.

The Falcons are hoping to bring home a happier result than 2024’s heartbreaking three-point loss at West Carroll. FCW (6-3) opens at an opponent it has not played this season, Pawnee (8-1).

“We’ve just got to stay focused,” FCW head coach Todd Reed said following Friday’s 64-20 win over Bushnell-Prairie City. “Having everybody back after some adversity the past couple weeks and losing a couple guys and playing the way we are right now, we’re going in the right direction.

“We’ll take it play-by-play, and we’ll be prepared for whoever we play.”

This is FCW’s first time making the playoffs in three consecutive seasons since a nine-year run (2006-14) during the first years of the co-op between old rivals Flanagan and Woodland.

If FCW can get the win and Amboy/LaMoille/Ohio doesn’t get upset in its first-round game, the Falcons would host the defending eight-man state champs at Flanagan in the second round.

Ottawa longtime assistant coach Mark Andrews honored

Ottawa’s Mark Andrews will be retiring from teaching at the end of the school year and also from his spot on the Pirates coaching staff. Andrews was honored with a plaque before Friday’s game against Granite City for his 25 years of service to the Ottawa football program.

“He was coaching defensive backs and running backs when I played here,” Ottawa head coach Chad Gross said. “He told me 2000 was his first season on the staff, but he’d coached at IVCC when they had a team before that. He has had all kinds of coaching roles over the years at Ottawa, at the lower levels, defensive coordinator on varsity, and this year for us, coaching defensive backs and running backs. I mean, I was his assistant on the junior varsity when I started coaching, so it’s come full circle.”

“He’s been a mainstay since I took over as head coach. We’ve talked to him about possibly coming back, but we’ll see what he wants to do after retirement. He knows he’ll be welcomed back if he decides to want to return.”

First-round playoff matchups

Friday

4A: Woodstock at Morris, 7 p.m.

8-man: FCW at Pawnee, 6 p.m.

Saturday

4A: Sterling at Coal City, 4 p.m.

3A: Princeton at Bloomington Central Catholic, 1 p.m.

2A: Port Byron Riverdale at Seneca, 1 p.m.

1A: Marquette at Gibson City-Melvin-Sibley, 1 p.m.

1A: Dwight at Rushville-Industry, 2 p.m.