Crim: QHS, QND in position to capture conference crowns as football season hits home stretch

QUINCY — The high school football calendar is entering the home stretch with just three weeks remaining before postseason play begins, and both state-ranked Quincy teams are eyeing conference championships.

Quincy High School will play its final home game Friday night against Sterling. The Blue Devils, ranked fifth in Class 7A, already have clinched a playoff berth. Beating both Sterling and Geneseo will ensure back-to-back Western Big 6 Conference titles for the first time since 1973-74.

Quincy (6-0, 4-0 WB6) has won 18 straight regular-season games and 13 league games in a row. Both streaks date to Sept. 30, 2022, when Sterling held on for a 34-28 victory in overtime at Flinn Stadium. The Golden Warriors have won three of four meetings since 2019.

Last season, the Blue Devils turned the ball over four times, nearly squandered a 21-point first-half lead, and needed Jack Hammock to break up a pass play on a two-point conversion after Sterling scored with 2 minutes, 7 seconds remaining in regulation to come away with a 35-33 road victory.

It was the narrowest victory margin in Quincy’s 11-win season.

There have been no close calls so far this season. The Blue Devils have scored 40 or more points in all six victories and are averaging 44.5 per game. They have outscored their four WB6 opponents 185-35 after last week’s 45-0 whitewashing of Galesburg.

How efficient has the offense been? Quincy has punted only twice this season.

Quarterback Bradyn Little is on pace to surpass his gaudy numbers from a year ago when he threw for 3,422 yards and 45 touchdowns. He already has amassed 2,168 yards and 28 TDs. His fourth scoring toss against Galesburg was the 100^th of his career, and he needs just 299 passing yards to reach the 9,000-yard milestone.

Tykell Hammers has 100 or more receiving yards in five straight games and has 703 for the season. Rico Clay has caught seven touchdown passes. Dual-threat running back Jeraius Rice has 919 rushing and receiving yards combined and has scored a team-leading 15 TDs.

Not to be outdone, the defense is yielding just 10 points and 192 yards per game after registering its first shutout since 2021.

One potential area of concern is penalties. Quincy has been flagged 56 times for 443 yards, which could spell trouble in a close game.

Sterling enters the game 3-0 in the WB6 and 4-2 overall after holding off Geneseo 13-6. The Golden Warriors also have conference victories over East Moline (27-26) and Galesburg (40-3) and would like nothing better than to spoil Quincy’s shot at a second straight undefeated regular season.

Quincy Notre Dame, ranked third in Class 2A, has won five in a row since falling to QHS in the opener. The Raiders are 4-0 in the Central State 8 Conference West Division, one game ahead of two teams they have beaten — Springfield High and Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin.

Needing one victory to secure an automatic playoff berth, QND will play its final West Division opponent, Jacksonville (4-2, 2-2 CS8), on the road Friday night before crossover games against East Division opponents Lincoln (4-2) at home and Decatur MacArthur (2-4) on the road to finish the regular season.

The Raiders have been impressive during their maiden voyage in the CS8. They have recorded lopsided wins against Springfield Southeast (43-0), Sacred Heart-Griffin (37-7) and Springfield Lanphier (77-6), and showed their resilience by rallying in the fourth quarter to top Springfield High 14-9 in their only road game.

Against six-time state champion Sacred Heart-Griffin, wide receiver Gavin Doellman caught two touchdown passes from Wyatt Mueller, returned a punt 69 yards for another score and had two of QND’s four interceptions. Oliver Triplett rushed for 145 yards on 28 carries after Ivan Hun went down with an injury in the first half.

A sturdy defense has been QND’s bedrock for success. The unit that yielded 40 points to Quincy High in Week 1 has allowed only 32 since and has forced a bevy of turnovers, highlighted by Jack Brenner’s pair of interception returns for touchdowns against Lanphier.

Moreover, an early goal-line stand set the tone in a 22-10 victory over Richmond-Burton in Week 2. The Raiders allowed no points after Sacred Heart-Griffin twice drove inside their 10-yard line.

Jacksonville, which regularly played QND in the 1980s when both were members of the Greater Midwestern Conference, is coming off a 36-29 loss to Springfield High. Sacred Heart-Griffin dealt the Crimsons their other conference defeat, 35-10 in Week 3.

A QND victory would ensure both Quincy schools will be playoff bound for the third consecutive season and the 10^th time since 2003.