Championship aspirations continue to be driving force for Raiders

QUINCY — The Quincy Notre Dame football team’s state semifinal berth in 2019 led to an offseason of believing a state championship was within reach if not the Raiders’ destiny.

“And then COVID,” linebacker Elliott Maas said.

The pandemic led to the 2020 fall season morphing into a six-game spring season with no playoffs. Those state championship dreams were dashed.

Only momentarily.

“We had to do what we could control,” Maas said. “That was play our best football, stay in the weight room, grind as hard as we can. That was with a state championship in mind. We’re going to carry that out as best we can this year. It’s always been our goal.”

Despite some turnover in the roster, the Raiders have a wealth of experience, quality playmakers on offense and a linebacking corps to rival any in this region as they prepare to kick off the season Friday night with a rivalry game against Quincy High School at Flinn Stadium.

The first crosstown showdown as the lidlifter since 1985 adds a level of excitement, but the Raiders’ strong vibe is coming from the desire to chase that championship.

“I like the emotion and energy of these guys,” said QND coach Jack Cornell, entering his fourth season at the helm. “There’s a couple of ringleaders, and when the ringleaders get everyone else riled up, it’s contagious. The way they fight and the way they work is contagious.

“The energy and emotion I’d say is at an all-time high.”

That’s understandable. Coming off a spring season in which the Raiders went 4-2, played for the championship in the Big 12 Conference Tournament and beat opponents with triple or quadruple their enrollment, there’s no lacking confidence.

Nor is there a lack of experience.

Maas is joined by seniors Ben Kasparie, Zach Friedersdorf and Nolan Obert at linebacker, giving the Raiders a collective 10 seasons worth of experience at that position alone. Junior linebacker Dalton Miller enters his third season as a playmaker, too.

“We’re fierce downhill,” Maas said. “If you’re not playing fast, downhill football, I don’t think you can play on our defense.”

The veteran leadership isn’t limited to the defense.

Senior Jack Gilliland is a savvy veteran at wide receiver. Issac Hinkamper, a senior, and Wilson Henning, a junior, have started on the line. Even senior kicker Ethan Beroiza has a wealth of experience and big kicks in his back pocket. 

“These seniors, we relied on them as freshmen and sophomores to play a bulk of the snaps,” Cornell said. “Now it’s come full circle, and you want these guys to have the time of their lives.”

They’re not taking anything for granted just because they’re seniors.

“Everyone is fighting for a job and we know that,” Maas said. “At any moment, someone is trying to take your job. You have to do everything you can to win that job. That’s something Coach Cornell hits on a lot. That’s something we hold true.”

It’s played out that way at quarterback.

Calvin Lavery, a senior who was the backup to Ike Wiley last season, and Jackson Stratton, a junior with the athleticism to help this team at a variety of spots, have battled throughout the preseason. Whichever quarterback wins the job will have a variety of weapons at his disposal.

“It’s a lot of fun to scheme stuff up and use formations to get guys into certain plays and targeting who we want to target,” Cornell said. “What impresses me about this team is they understand there is not just one guy. They want to share the love and then they want to celebrate their teammates when they get that love.”

More so, they want to be playing in November with a chance to do something no QND football team has ever done — win a state championship.

“We wanted this senior class to be two-time state champs when it was all said and done and three-time playoff qualifiers,” Cornell said. “The Lord works in mysterious ways, and those overarching messages are what we’re trying to convey to these guys.

“But the chance to play nine games and a postseason is what they’re working for.”