Kael Ryan rushed for 173 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winner in overtime, to lead the Sterling Golden Warriors to a 34-28 win over Quincy on the road in the Western Big 6 on Friday night.

Success on the gridiron starts in the trenches, and usually people think of the offensive line when they hear that. But the same holds true on the defensive side of the ball, and the Sterling Golden Warriors credit much of their success this season to the guys on the D-line.

Sterling hits the road for the fourth time in five weeks with a visit to Quincy, while Dixon and Newman return home looking for league wins. Rock Falls takes a trip to take on Class 3A defending champion Byron.

While their official nickname is Golden Warriors, the Sterling football team should maybe change it to Road Warriors. For the fourth time in five weeks, Sterling (4-1, 3-0) will get on the bus – and it’s another long trip, as the Warriors head to Quincy for a Western Big 6 game.

A pair of touchdowns from quarterbacks Kael Ryan and JP Schilling and three turnovers from Sterling’s defense fueled a 40-0 win over Geneseo Friday night at Roscoe Eades Stadium.

Sauk Valley sports reporter Dan Wussow has live updates from Friday night’s Week 5 game between Geneseo and Sterling.

Sterling returns to Roscoe Eades for its first home game since Week 1, while Rock Falls hosts Genoa-Kingston, and Dixon and Newman both hit the road for conference games Friday night.

Gallery

The Sterling Warriors takes on their old rival the Geneseo Maples Leafs Friday, Sept. 23, 2022.

In recent years, the Sterling-Geneseo rivalry series has belonged to the Golden Warriors, who have won each of their last six matchups against the Maple Leafs by three scores or more.