Scouting the Western Big 6

EAST MOLINE (UNITED TOWNSHIP)

2019 record: 1-8, 0-7 WB6

Coach: Nick Welch

Worth noting: The Panthers’ lone win in 2019 came in nonconference play, beating East Peoria Week 2. United Township has not won a Western Big 6 game since 2011. ….. Under center, UT has Daslah Geadeyan, a returning honorable mention all-conference pick who is a dual-threat QB able to stretch the field. …. Geadeyan has a veteran group protecting him, as UT has four players back who saw starting time on the offensive line last season in tackle Tete Houedakor, guards Jaxon Crawford and Simon Wilson and center Austin Seangamany. Wilson was second-team all-conference last year. …. The Panthers defense will get a boost from two returning players; senior safety Javier Tapia and senior lineman Anthony Teach. Tapia hasn’t played since his freshman year and is expected to be a big addition. Teach didn’t play in 2019 but will be back to anchor the defensive line. … Junior linebacker Antwan Hawthorne started the last five games of the 2019 season, and in the long offseason has grown two inches and put on 25 pounds of muscle.

GALESBURG

2019 record: 2-7, 1-6 WB6

Coach: Michael Washabaugh

Worth noting: In 2018, Galesburg unveiled a highly-touted freshman class. Now juniors, that group includes receivers Alexavier “Alex” and Alexandre “Dre” Egipciaco, tight end Aaron Carl, linebackers Hunter DeVena and Kannon Kleine, defensive lineman Jeremiah Morris and quarterback Grant Aten. .... The Silver Streaks hope for their first winning season since going 8-3 in 2016. .... In 2019, the Silver Streaks picked up a shutout nonconference win over Centralia. In their other eight games, Galesburg’s defense allowed an average of 30.8 points per game, including 54 points in a Week 9 loss to Sterling. .... Wide receiver Alex Egipciaco had a breakout season last year with 40 catches and seven touchdowns to garner a second-team all-conference pick. Twin brother Dre Egipciaco had 40 catches for eight touchdowns.

GENESEO

2019 record: 4-5, 2-5 WB6

Coach: Larry Johnsen

Worth noting: Geneseo won its first three games of 2019, beating Chicago Noble/Bulls, Chicago Lake View and Galesburg, before losing the next five games. .... The Leafs went 4-5 in 2018 and 2019. The 2018 season was the first losing record for Geneseo in 55 years. Since 1974, there have been just four years in which the Leafs did not play in the postseason. With no postseason this spring, this will be the fifth. ..... Defensive end Dominic DeBoef was a first-team all-conference pick in 2019 as a junior. When Illinois put its football season on hold, DeBoef headed to Iowa and played in the fall at North Mahaska. ..... Linebacker Jonathan Maxwell was a second-team all conference pick as a sophomore in 2019.

MOLINE

2019 record: 5-5, 4-3 WB6

Coach: Mike Morrissey

Worth noting: The Maroons won conference titles in 2017 and 2018 before being dethroned by conference newcomer Sterling last season. ….. Moline reached the playoffs in 2019, falling to eventual Class 7A semifinalist Willowbrook in the first round. … Moline adds a huge piece to its offense with Alec Ponder transferring in. Ponder shared quarterbacking duties in 2019 at Alleman with Zach Carpita. He isn’t the only transfer Moline expects production from. The Maroons also add tight end Colin Shults, who will also play defensive end. ….. Moline’s offensive line looks to have four sophomores and a junior taking starting spots. On defense, the Maroons will also be starting three or four sophomores. ….. The Maroons will bring back three running backs from last season; Treyvon Lee, Jaheim Thornton and Gavin Grace. Moline also returns wide receiver Cranston Wall and quarterback/defensive back Matthew Bailey. …. All of the kickers on Moline’s roster are female, including returning junior all-conference honorable mention Caroline Hazen, who Morrissey expects will be the best kicker in the conference this season.

ROCK ISLAND

2019 record: 8-3, 6-1 WB6

Coach: Ben Hammer

Worth noting: When the door opened to have the spring season, Rock Island coach Ben Hammer took to Twitter and, channeling Michael Jordan’s announcement of his return to the Bulls in 1995, tweeted an announcement which simply read “We’re back.” ..... It has been a steady progression for the Rocks since Hammer took the coaching job in 2017, winning four games that year, five the next and eight in 2019. ..... The Rocks have made the playoffs 23 times since 1993. That string began under Vic Boblett, the Rock Island coach whose Rocks went 170-60 in his 21 years at the helm. ..... The Rocks’ rushing attack has to find someone to fill a massive pair of shoes. Rock Island running back Davion Wilson graduated last year after back-to-back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. He put up 228 yards and two touchdowns last year in a win over Alleman. ..... On both offense and defense, the Rocks can turn to senior Perry Slater. The Eastern Illinois commit plays wide receiver and free safety.

ROCK ISLAND (ALLEMAN)

2019 record: 5-5, 5-2 WB6

Coach: Todd Depoorter

Worth noting: The Pioneers normally play home games at Augustana College, but the college’s COVID protocols have shut the door to Alleman for the spring, forcing the Pioneers to search for a temporary new home. Or a couple of them. Alleman will play Week 1 and Week 5 at Rock Island against Sterling and Quincy, while “hosting” Geneseo Week 3 at United Township. With the Geneseo game being Easter weekend, that changes the schedule even more, and the Leafs and Pioneers will play on a Monday. .... After losing its first three games in 2019, Alleman went on a five-game winning streak. Those wins were by three, two, eight, seven and 13 points. ..... Alleman has finished exactly 5-5 three years in a row. The Pioneers were also 5-5 in 2014. Over the 2015 and 2016 seasons, they won five games in total. ...... The Pioneers will bring back Rudy Glancey, the linchpin of an offensive line which paved the way for a 1,100-yard rusher in 2019. .... The Alleman linebacking corps features a pair of seniors who were first-team all-conference picks in 2019 in Jack Patting and Jake Mattecheck. Mattecheck was selected for the 2021 Shrine Game.

QUINCY

2019 record: 4-5, 3-4 WB6

Coach: Rick Little

Worth noting: The Blue Devils were senior-laden in 2019. Of the nine Quincy players who claimed first- or second-team all-conference nods, all were seniors. .... Quincy averaged 31.8 points per game last year, a high-powered offense which jumped into high gear right off the bat with a Week 1 74-0 win over North Lawndale Charter. .... Quincy came closer than anyone in 2019 to knocking off Sterling in the regular season, falling by 13. Sterling jumped out to a 33-0 lead before Quincy scored 20 points in the fourth quarter. .... Drae Humphrey offers a dual-threat out of the backfield rushing and catching. He offers another threat on defense as well, as a linebacker with a knack for getting to the quarterback. .... Quincy needed to find a replacement for the now-graduated quarterback Lucas Reis, and may have found the right man in senior Tate Meyer. Someone who can run a read-option, throw on the run, and displays a strong arm, Meyer has already drawn college interest.

STERLING

2019 record: 10-1, 7-0 WB6

Coach: Jon Schlemmer

Worth noting: The Golden Warriors bring back a powerful part of their defense in lineman Trevon Jordan, linebacker Nick Simester and defensive back Noel Aponte. All were first-team all-conference last season. Jordan will play in the fall at Northern Illinois while Simester will play at Illinois Wesleyan. .... Aponte will be a key part of the Warriors’ rushing attack after gaining 806 yards and scoring 18 touchdowns last season. In the passing game, he had 11 catches for 172 yards and two touchdowns .... Sterling needs to find a new quarterback following the graduation of dual-threat Cooper Willman, who was the team’s leading rusher last season with 1,269 yards as well as completing 77 of 115 passes for 994 yards. ...... Sterling has boasted a powerful offensive line in recent years, and highlighting that line this season will be guard Ryan Heffelfinger, a returning first-team all-conference player slated to play his college football at Illinois State.

FIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH

• Noel Aponte, Sterling, RB, sr.: Aponte (6-0, 175) was second on the team in rushing last season behind now-graduated quarterback Cooper Willman. Aponte gained 806 yards on 129 carries. He led the team in rushing touchdowns with 18, and also reeled in a pair of receiving touchdowns.
• Dre Egipciaco, Galesburg, WR, jr.: Egipciaco (5-10) reeled in 40 catches for eight touchdowns for the Silver Streaks last season, one more receiving touchdown than Galesburg’s other wide receiver, Alex Egipciaco. The two are part of a talented junior class for Galesburg.
• Trevon Jordan, Sterling, DE, sr.: Jordan (6-5, 235), a Northern Illinois commit, recorded 5.5 sacks and 4.5 tackles for a loss for the Golden Warriors in 2019. He also recovered two fumbles and intercepted a pass, on a play where a quarterback tried to throw over Jordan’s head and Jordan simply leapt up and grabbed the ball.
• Treyvon Lee, Moline, RB-DB, sr.: Lee (5-11, 185) can cause headaches for opposing teams on defense as a cornerback with a nose for the ball and ability to intercept or break up passes. He also has speed to close in on ball carriers or receivers quickly. On offense, he will split time in Moline’s backfield with Jaheim Thornton and Gavin Grace, but can still make an impact in the ground game.
• Jake Mattecheck, Alleman, RB-SS, sr.: Mattecheck (6-3, 193) is a versatile defender who can line up at linebacker or safety depending on the Pioneers’ needs. As a running back, he served as a second option to the now-graduated Nate Sheets last season, putting up 72 rushing yards in a win over Galesburg and reeling in a key touchdown pass in a win over Moline.

SCHEDULES

FIVE CAN’T MISS MATCHUPS

Week 2 – Geneseo at Sterling: Whether it was the NIB-12 or the Western Big 6, Sterling and Geneseo have been playing every year since 1981, and first met on the gridiron in 1916. The Golden Warriors have won the past five meetings, including a 27-7 win in Geneseo in 2019.

Week 2 – Alleman at Moline: Last year, Alec Ponder and Zach Carpita shared snaps at quarterback for Alleman. Ponder is in a Moline uniform now, expected to be a key part of the Maroons offense with a chance to get his new team off to a good start to the season with a win over his old team.

Week 3 – Geneseo vs Alleman (at United Township): This is a rematch of an instant classic from 2019 which took two days to play. The Leafs led 13-7 during the 2019 meeting when thunder and lightning halted play in the third quarter. The teams came back the following morning where Alleman’s Ben Sheets scored with just under three minutes left to tie the game. Since the game had to be delayed, Alleman’s kicker was not available since he had a Saturday soccer game, so the Pioneers went for two and made it, securing a 15-13 win. A rematch of a game played on a Friday and Saturday in 2019, in 2021 it will be played on a Monday.

Week 4 – Rock Island at Sterling: The two teams who finished first and second in the Big 6 a year ago will be meeting again at Roscoe Eades Stadium April 9. Last time the two met, Sterling came away with a 49-26 in Rock Island, the Rocks’ lone conference loss and the one loss breaking apart Rock Island’s two four-game winning streaks.

Week 5 – Galesburg at United Township: United Township has not won a conference game since 2011 but came very close in the matchup with Galesburg in 2019, a 36-34 Silver Streaks win. Panthers quarterback Daslah Geadeyan scored with 38 seconds left, but Galesburg was able to stop the two-point conversion.

STEVE SOUCIE’S PREDICTED FINISH