Dixon seeking first win after two close losses

The last few years, Mendota has been a team that has finished near the bottom of the Big Northern Conference standings each year, but maybe those days are coming to an end.

The Trojans answered every challenge last week in a 42-28 win against Rock Falls. It was a result that caught the attention of Dixon head coach Jared Shaner, as his Dukes prepare for a trip to Mendota on Saturday. Game time is 2 p.m.

“When looking at film, I think they’re a much-improved football team from the last few years,” Shaner said. “You can see it on both sides of the ball. Their kids played really hard last week – the last 2 weeks, on the films we’ve seen. They have a mix of a little bit of size, and then some good skills kids that have played on the varsity for a few years now. Anytime you have that experience, that helps.”

Better days do appear to be ahead for Mendota (1-2), which has just two seniors on its roster. Leading the way for the Trojans are a pair of juniors, running back Damian Magallanes and quarterback Ted Landgraf.

Magallanes had 20 carries for 117 yards and four touchdowns last week. His 51-yard TD run with 1:29 to play salted away the win against the Rockets.

Landgraf is a true run-pass threat. He had 20 carries for 132 yards and one touchdown, and he also threw for 165 yards. The highlight of the passing game was a 73-yard scoring pass to junior wide receiver Emilio Perez, who doubles as the team’s kicker and went 6-for-6 on extra points last week.

The Trojans’ big-play capability is something Dixon will have to guard against, according to nose guard Quinn Staples.

“We’ll definitely look over for the big plays,” Staples said, “but I feel if we can shut down 95% of what they really have to go for, then the big plays aren’t going to make too much of a difference if we stick to our defense and do what we do best.”

Dixon (0-2), meanwhile, is looking for a payoff after turning in two solid efforts. The Dukes led 14-0 at halftime against Winnebago, only to see the Indians rally for a 19-14 win.

Last week, squandered opportunities cost Dixon dearly in a 7-2 road loss against Rockford Lutheran. The Dukes’ offense was bogged down by a stiff Crusaders’ defense, as well as a field that hadn’t seen a mower in a while due to soggy conditions.

“We come in on the weekend and watch film and go over the mistakes that we’ve made and things that we’ve done well,” Shaner said. “We know we’ve got to clean up things offensively. Obviously conditions didn’t help any last week, but it was the same for both teams. The big focus this week has been we’ve got to stop shooting ourselves in the foot offensively.”

“We just need to pay more attention to detail, make some simple fixes in between our ears,” Staples added, “and I think from there, we’re physically capable of being one of the greatest offenses in this conference.”

Dixon has been solid on defense this season, especially against Lutheran. The Crusaders scored on their opening possession, then was completely shut down the rest of the way.

“Take away the first series defensively, that’s about as good as you can play last week,” Shaner said. “Our kids were very, very physical with Lutheran and really did a nice job. I hope we build on that defensively, and then get a little bit going offensively.”

Shaner noted his his team’s spirits have been good this week, with the 0-2 record not weighing on them at all. The Dukes are eager to get a win.

“It’s tough knowing that we could have won both those games if we would have done just one thing differently,” Staples said, “but I think this week we’re really going to come together. We’re going to overcome that adversity and show the conference what we have to offer.”