How tiny ROWVA/Williamsfield could grow into a big football power
What coach Grant Gullstrand is building at ROWVA/Williamsfield has the potential to become an Illinois small-school football power.
The fifth-year coach has the second-year co-op — which includes kids from a slew of Knox County towns — in the quarterfinals for the first time since ROWVA made a 2005 Class 3A appearance. The Cougars (9-2) host Chicago Hope Academy (10-1) for a 1 p.m. Saturday kickoff in the Class 1A quarterfinals.
ROWVA defeated perennial state contenders Sterling Newman and Stark County in the first two rounds of the playoffs.
“Our kids are confident,” Gullstrand said. “They believe in what they’re doing. They’re having a good time playing. It’s a fun group to coach and they like being around each other. We’re playing our best football at the right time.”
The growth of a football program
When Gullstrand took over before the 2019 season, the program was called Mid-County, which then also included Galva along with ROWVA and Williamsfield. It was a homecoming for Gullstrand, who graduated from ROWVA in 2011 after playing as an offensive lineman on the 2010 team.
The Cougars varsity program draws its 48 players from nine different townships, cities and villages: Rio, Oneida, Wataga, Victoria and Altona (ROWVA) — along with Williamsfield, Oak Run, Dahinda and Elmore. Sixteen of those players come from tiny Williamsfield, an 89-student school just 30 minutes northwest of Peoria.
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“It’s special,” Gullstrand said of coaching at his alma mater. “That’s kind of one reason why I took this job, is to come back and take the program to somewhere that, hopefully, it hasn’t been before.”
Community support has been instrumental in growing football. Businesses have their windows painted, backing the Cougars and fans putting R/W football signs in their yards as well as along Highway 34 between Oneida and Altona.
A good season from the fresh/soph team mixed with over 150 players out for JFL — usually clad in their jerseys at the varsity games — bodes well for the program’s future.
“People are excited about football,” Gullstrand said, noting a huge crowd at Bill Adams Field in Oneida. “It’s been really cool to be a part of and build and hopefully continue to make it a tradition that people look forward to and are excited about football."
The dominance of a football team
ROWVA lost last season in the second round to eventual state champion Lena-Winslow. That game ended 76-7, but it provided a lot of opportunity for growth.
“Any time you can get experience with that,” Gullstrand said of facing the three-time reigning state champ, “your kids are going to have some confidence going in that they’ve kind of, ‘been there, done this before’, so I don’t think they’re putting too much pressure on themselves.”
Speaking of pressure, the Cougars defense has been stifling in the playoffs.
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ROWVA held Stark County to 75 total yards in last week’s 36-8 second-round victory over its LincolndLand Conference foe. ROWVA has allowed 269 total yards including 46 total rushing yards in two playoff games.
Spencer Brown, Max Main, Preston Schroeder, Bryan Bertlshofer and Talan Hull head the linebacker crew. Defensive backs are ballhawks led by Jack Godsil, Nathan Courtright, Jack Cordle and Devonte Noel, who has eight interceptions including three in the playoffs.
Brown, who had 129 total yards and four TDs against SC, has been a force on both sides of the ball. After only joining the starting lineup at the end of last season, the 6-foot-1, 187-pound senior has worked for everything he’s got and transformed his body into a strong and fast player with an understanding of the game, according to Gullstrand.
“Hopefully, we can play well again this week," Gullstrand said, "and take it one game at a time.”
Adam Duvall is a Journal Star sports reporter. Email him at aduvall@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @AdamDuvall.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: ROWVA/Williamsfield football program growing into small-school power
