Friday evening was a lesson in what sports can teach us.
It had a little bit of everything that touches the soul – like the theater and life itself.
There was a tragic situation.
There was euphoria.
And there was just the plain absurd.
That’s about the only way to wrap up the night of Western Big 6 football play.
All’s well with Alleman player
The Rock Island vs. Alleman intra-city battle at Soule Bowl in East Moline was brought to an abrupt halt Friday when an Alleman player was injured with 3:58 left in the third quarter and had to be taken from the field in an ambulance.
Alleman High School officials announced fantastic news Saturday morning: The player had been “released from the hospital and will continue to recover,” according to a school release.
“Alleman Catholic High School wishes to express sincere gratitude to our community for the concern and support shown following the injury to one of our student-athletes during last night’s football game,” said the release from the school. “… We extend our appreciation to the coaches, medical personnel, and first responders whose professionalism and swift action ensured our student received immediate care.”
School officials did not release the player’s name. The player was covering a punt when the injury occurred. According to those at the game, the injured player collided with a teammate.
It was 19 years ago to the week that, in a game between Alleman and Rock Island at what was then Ericson Field, Rock Island’s Travis Hearn suffered a neck injury covering a kickoff for the Rocks.
His story after a collision with a teammate was much different. He was left paralyzed and passed away just over two years later.
This season has been a roller-coaster ride of emotions for the Pioneers. They opened the season enjoying the return of varsity football with a 62-13 victory to Friday’s fourth straight loss, a 51-0 setback to the Rocks.
Friday’s game was called after the player was taken from the field on a stretcher and the teams gathered near midfield in prayer.
Those may have been answered.
Moline’s statement win
Moline coach Mike Morrissey admitted that Friday’s contest at Quincy was “surreal.”
The Maroons did just about everything to perfection in rolling Quincy 39-0 in a battle of 3-1 teams who were the last unbeatens in the league.
“Our kids just came out on fire; I don’t even know how else to put it,” said Morrissey, whose club snapped a three-game losing streak to the Blue Devils. “Even during warmups, you just got this feel like their confidence and belief in what we were trying to do. Their execution last night in all three phases was really freaking good.
“I didn’t see that outcome, but we felt good about it.”
The Maroons rolled to 548 yards of offense — 436 rushing behind junior Marc Cary’s 235 yards on 21 carries that included two touchdowns. Sophomore QB Kasen Ponder completed 9 of 20 passes for 112 yards.
Moline’s defense/special teams even got into the act. The Maroons held the explosive Blue Devils to 161 yards of offense while picking off three passes — and dropped a fourth, according to the coach. Junior Hassan Ndiaye returned a fumble 77 yards for a score and for good measure, Moline also blocked a punt that resulted in a safety.
“We did a lot of good things in all three phases of the game; it was awesome,” said Morrissey. “It was almost like I couldn’t really fathom what was happening when it was all going down.”
Now the Maroons get to face a Rock Island (1-4, 1-2 Big 6) team that found some traction as the longest rivalry in the state heats up again at Browning Field.
What a finish
Two very good football teams looking to bounce back from tough losses in the second week of Big 6 play put on a tremendous show at Bob Reade Field in Geneseo, according to all accounts.
The United Township Panthers and hosting Maple Leafs served up a back-and-forth battle that lasted right to the end. The game featured four lead changes with both teams scoring three straight — UT to take a 21-7 lead in the second quarter and Geneseo three straight to cut the halftime deficit to 21-14 and take a 28-21 lead into the fourth quarter. UT then scored twice in the fourth to go up 33-28.
As it turned out, a 24-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Jackson McAvoy to classmate Carter Holke with 22 seconds left in the contest gave the Leafs the lead for good. A two-point conversion capped Geneseo’s 36-33 victory.
The Maple Leafs (3-2, 2-1 Big 6) are at Galesburg on Friday, and the Panthers (3-2, 1-2) are looking to snap a two-game losing streak against Quincy (3-2, 2-1).
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TJ Johnston
sports writer/golf editor
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