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Sterling’s opponents the first two weeks of the spring season were perfectly happy keeping the ball on the ground.
Between Alleman in Week 1 and Geneseo in Week 2, the Sterling defense has faced a total of 18 called passing plays, recording one sack and having opposing quarterbacks complete 6-of-17 passes for 23 yards.
It’s likely Quincy will surpass all of those totals when the Blue Devils welcome the Golden Warriors to Flinn Stadium on Friday.
“We just know our guys have got to stay locked on, don’t get burned in the backfield and go to sleep,” Sterling’s Jahshawn Howard said. “Geneseo’s primarily a run team, so we can’t get lulled to sleep.”
The 23 passing yards allowed by Sterling is by far the fewest in the Western Big 6 through two games. Geneseo has the conference’s second-stingiest passing defense, having allowed 182 yards through two games.
Quincy’s passing offense is the second-most prolific in the league, putting up 495 yards through two games, surpassed only by Rock Island’s 513 yards.
“They throw over 60% of the time, so we have to be ready for that,” Sterling’s Kael Ryan said. “Don’t get beat over top, just play smart.”
In a Week 2 loss to Galesburg, Quincy quarterback Tate Meyer threw a pair of second-half touchdowns.
When Quincy faced the Warriors last year, it was Lucas Reis at the helm of the offense. He threw three touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, turning what had been a 33-0 Warriors lead after three quarters into a 33-20 Warriors win. He also rushed 17 times for 66 yards and completed 24 of 42 passes for 275 yards.
Meyer will use his feet to move the ball as well. He broke off a pair of 60-yard runs to finish with 142 rushing yards in the Devils’ Week 1 win over United Township.
“We thought their kid last year was a really good player, and this kid, he’s done some really good things through two games,” Sterling coach Jon Schlemmer said. “He isn’t afraid to throw it, and they’ve got guys on the perimeter who can catch it.”
When Meyer throws, he has the receivers to turn short passes into big plays. In Week 2, slant routes for Clay Hansen and Makhi Lewis turned into 57- and 85-yard touchdowns.
“They’re able to make some plays, and when you get athletes like that, you just kind of give them the ball and let them go,” Schlemmer said. “They’re able to do that. It’s about being where we’re supposed to be.”
But defensively, Sterling has been firing on all cylinders in the first two weeks. A first-drive score by Alleman in Week 1 is the only time the Warriors have given up points so far this spring, and since that drive the Warriors have allowed a total of 158 yards and taken away three fumbles, including one against Geneseo which Trevon Jordan returned for a touchdown.
“We’ve just got to keep with the teamwork,” Howard said. “We were all going. It wasn’t ego in that [Geneseo] game. If anyone made a play, like the scoop-and-score Trevon had, we were all running to the ball, cheering him on. We were all rallying to the ball. That’s how it’s got to be this week.”
Defensively, Quincy allowed 46 points in the Week 2 loss to Galesburg, and the Silver Streaks had put up 287 yards by halftime of that game. But Quincy’s defense was clicking the previous week against the Panthers.
“They show a lot of different fronts,” Ryan said. “It’s going to be difficult to block, but if we communicate up front and we play really hard up front, we should be able to run the ball against them.”
This will be the first time since joining the Western Big 6 that the Golden Warriors will make the 200-mile trip to Quincy. The Blue Devils played in Sterling in 2019.
“It’s something, I think we’re going to get out in Macomb just to shake out [the legs] a little bit,” Schlemmer said. “We’ll eat before we leave and get a pre-game snack when we get down there. It is what it is. We’re happy to go down there. It’s part of the deal. … We’re excited to go to a new place we haven’t played.”