“Focus” isn’t just a buzzword around the Sterling football program, it’s a way of life.

It’s also the main reason why the Golden Warriors have lost one conference game since joining the Western Big 6 in 2019, and there wasn’t a lull in the two weeks between a home game against powerhouse Montini and a road game against rival Geneseo.

“There’s some guys on the team that have been around for a while, but I’ll give my coaches credit for that. You can’t have any complacency, you can’t take any reps off,” Sterling coach Jon Schlemmer said. “My coaches do such a good job of every week doing something different and having these kids understand the little things and how they turn into big things later on.

“I think so much credit goes to those guys for within their individual drills, within their group segment, within their team segment, they’re really coaching the heck out our kids – and the kids don’t have time to worry about what’s next. That’s kind of our job.”

Since a 17-10 loss to Montini in Week 2, the Warriors scored the final 18 points to beat Galesburg in Week 3, took care of business against an undermanned Alleman team in Week 4, and shut out the Maple Leafs last Friday night. They host Quincy on Friday night at Roscoe Eades Stadium.

Sterling (4-1) has outscored its opponents 145-54 this season, including 104-28 in a 3-0 start to league play.

Quincy (2-3) has losses to Quincy Notre Dame (40-20), Moline (48-35) and Galesburg (35-9), and wins over Alton (27-20) and United Township (48-12). The Blue Devils have also lost both meeting against the Warriors since 2019, and missed the playoffs in 2019 for the first time in seven years.

Like Sterling, Quincy uses a two-quarterback system with Adon Byquist and Bradyn Little. Their favorite targets are Jack Mettemeyer, Makhi Lewis and Ty Douglas, while Brian Douglas gets carries in the backfield.

The Blue Devils gained 170 yards of total offense in last week’s loss to Galesburg, while giving up 296 yards on the ground to the Silver Streaks – but Schlemmer is wary of some of Quincy’s weapons.

“They’re probably one of the more athletic teams that we’ve seen,” he said. “They’ve got some really nice skill position kids, the running back’s real shifty, and they’ve got a couple of kids that run the ball. They play two quarterbacks, and both of them can sling it around; I think they’re 60% passing or something along those lines, so they’re not afraid to throw it.

“They have that quick-strike ability, and you see it on film. They’re able to push the ball vertically down the field, and they’ve got good enough athletes that they can get by you. Our pass rush has to be great, and our kids on the back half have to be as good as we’ve been all year.”

As always, the focus for the Warriors is inward. Their two-quarterback system has been complemented by Antonio Tablante and the run game, and Carter Ryan has stepped in seamlessly to lead the receiving corps after returning from injury. Schlemmer also has high praise for the guys up front in the trenches.

“Our offensive line probably hasn’t gotten the credit that they deserve yet; they’ve done a really good job,” he said. “We stress reps – let alone practices or games – because we’re not that good yet, and our kids have some pretty high goals. One thing that we talk about getting better at is turning the ball over; once we really understand to value the football – because we got a little sloppy with it last week in the first half on a couple of drives – we’ll be better.”

But Schlemmer points to the defense as Sterling’s calling card so far this season, allowing just 10.8 points per game – and it’s 9.3 points per game in conference contests.

“I think defensively is kind of where we’ve been able to hang our hat a little bit this year; Coach LeMay’s got those guys understanding to play fast,” Schlemmer said. “We always tell our kids, ‘If you get lined up right, you’re going to have a chance,’ because we know what kind of players we have, so I think that’s been a really big key for us.

“It all starts at practice. We call it our ‘Detroit,’ which is our scout team, and they give us great looks. I think we’re getting really good looks and competing at practice, and then when we go out there, we’re ready for what we’re going to see from the other team.”