Playoff bubble, conference champs lead Week 9 takeaways from around Springfield
Here are the top high school football takeaways for Week 9 from around Springfield.
High school football Week 9: Scores, schedule from around the Springfield area
Why Maroa is tough to cover
Maroa-Forsyth's Kaiden Maurer started with a bang in a 28-21 Sangamo Conference victory over Athens at Walter Boyd Field.
The senior quarterback threw a 68-yard touchdown pass to junior tight end Grant Smith down field before lobbing up a 24-yard TD pass to junior receiver Mitch Williams to quickly jump ahead 14-0 in the first quarter.
Smith finished with two catches for 81 yards – in addition to his key defensive play early in the fourth quarter.
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Williams, who posted up his defender for a contested TD grab, ended with three catches for 60 yards.
“That’s always good when you play a good team and set the tone right off the bat,” Maurer said. “We have so many weapons and when the line gives me time, playmakers make plays. That’s the good thing about this team.”
Seniors Zayne Giles and Andre Harden also combined for 53 receiving yards.
Smith (6-4), Giles (6-1) and Williams (6-0) each provide plenty of size at receiver.
“That’s what it’s been all season,” Maurer said. “I can throw it up to any one of our guys and they’re going to get it.”
Top performers from Week 9 of high school football in the Springfield area
Maurer, 5-7, ran for 110 yards and two scores. He also threw for 194 yards and two TDs to vault the 2A top-ranked Trojans (9-0) to a second consecutive outright Sangamo title.
“He’s great with the ball,” Smith said of Maurer. “He’s an all-around athlete, I can’t even describe it. He’s an athlete.”
Nokomis passes the test
Nokomis was on the brink of the playoffs last season.
A late touchdown with 8.9 seconds left upended those playoff hopes against Dupo to finish 4-5 overall in 2022.
Sophomore running back Nolan Herpstreith made certain that didn’t happen again with 341 rushing yards and three TDs on 26 carries in a 41-23 victory over Niantic Sangamon Valley/Buffalo Tri-City.
NHS, in its first season in the Lincoln Prairie Conference, is now playoff eligible at 5-4 overall.
Elsewhere, Taylorville (5-4) also reached playoff eligibility with a 35-9 victory over Bethalto Civic Memorial in a nonconference game. The Tornadoes last appeared in the playoffs in 2019.
All five-win teams appear to be a lock.
Wow.
5-win teams all good.
4-win teams joining the party.
I should have brackets up within the hour.— Steve Soucie (@thesouc) October 21, 2023
Jacksonville, Beardstown come up short
Senior running back Cam’Ron Mitchell surpassed 3,000 career rushing yards, but Jacksonville couldn’t keep up in a 49-35 Central State Eight Conference loss to Normal University.
Mitchell’s 63-yard touchdown run lifted the Crimsons ahead 14-6 in the first quarter before scoring again in the second period to end the first half in a tie at 28-all.
But U-High (7-2) surged ahead 42-28 by the end of the third quarter and QB Alek Weiland’s seven-yard TD scamper likely eliminated Jacksonville (4-5) from a playoff berth.
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Mitchell finished with 176 rushing yards and three scores. If the Crimsons don't pick up a postseason bid, he departs second all-time in school history with 3,055 career rushing yards behind only Kenny Rogers’ 3,845.
Elsewhere, Beardstown (4-5) also came up short in a 41-0 Western Illinois Valley Conference loss to Hardin Calhoun, which improved to 6-3.
Rochester reclaims CS8 supremacy
Sacred Heart-Griffin didn’t give up the Central State Eight Conference throne without a fight against Rochester.
Jamarion Bardwell returned a kickoff 90 yards while Ethan Hagele scored a touchdown run to put Class 4A top-ranked Rochester on notice.
Rochester’s defense, though, extinguished subsequent SHG possessions to preserve a 31-21 victory at Ken Leonard Field and recapture the CS8 title from the Cyclones.
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The Rockets previously won the CS8 in the fall 2021 season but lost to the Cyclones in the Class 4A semifinals.
Prospects of another postseason meeting seem dim at best this season, with SHG slated to move up to Class 5A after two consecutive state finals appearances and last year’s 4A state title run.
Athens' 1,000-yard rushers
Athens had a pair of runners finish with more than 1,000 yards rushing each in the regular season.
Camren Bigard had 1,168 yards and 12 touchdowns on 95 carries for a whopping average of 13.3 yards per carry. Fellow senior Cory Craig Jr. finished the nine-game schedule with 1,129 yards and 18 TDs on 165 carries.
The Warriors ended the regular season at 7-2 with losses to Williamsville and Maroa-Forsyth.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: IHSA football: Top takeaways from around Springfield for Week 9
