2023 Quincy Notre Dame Hall of Fame inductee: 2004 football team

Editor’s Note: Quincy Notre Dame will hold its Hall of Fame induction ceremony at approximately 6:30 p.m. Saturday between games of the 2023 QND Tip-Off Tourney at The Pit. Below is the biography used by the QND Hall of Fame committee to honor one of this year’s inductees.

QUINCY — The 2004 Quincy Notre Dame football team is one of two in school history to play in a semifinal round game, but through five games, the Raiders hadn’t yet come together. A team with 14 senior starters had a 3-2 record after a loss to Kankakee Bishop McNamara in Week 5.

The Raiders finished the regular season with a 7-2 record. In a first-round Class 4A playoff game against Piasa Southwestern, running back Garrett Spoonmore injured his knee. He had rushed for more than 1,300 touchdowns and 13 touchdowns, but Freddie Kientzle and Nick Paul both scored two rushing TDs in a 35-0 victory. Paul started the following week’s playoff game against Rochester with an 88-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Chris Zeidler caught three TD passes, and the Raiders rushed for more than 300 yards in a 47-0 thrashing of Rochester.

No. 1-ranked Mahomet Seymour was next at home, and the Raiders’ defense was historically dominant. The Bulldogs entered the game averaging more than 40 points per game but gained just 78 total yards as QND won 14-10. The school’s first appearance in a state championship game, however, wasn’t in the cards the following week in the semifinals. Three fumbles and a stingy Coal City defense led to a 22-0 season-ending road loss.

The head coach was Bill Connell. Assistant coaches were Adam Weiman, Chris Keller, Rick Day, Joe Obert, Dale Venvertloh, John Wyss and Chad Duesterhaus. The managers were Karl Duesterhaus and Max Viau. Players were Daniel Haas, Matt Anderson, Jason Wiemelt, Jordan Genenbacher, Brian Toumbs, Zach Maas, Sam Dancer, Garrett Spoonmore, Trevor Frericks, Chris Zeidler, Chad Vogel, Chris Waterkotte, Ross Finley, Freddie Kientzle, Brian Doellman, Lucas Stice, John Lammers, Zac Greer, D.J. Peters, Joel Rivard, Jeremy Mefford, Andrew Smith, Drew Stamerjohn, Nathan Holtschlag, Spencer Dietrich, Hunter Meyer, Shane Kelly, Greg Achilles, Joel Hill, Corey Barder, Ryan Wellman, Nathan Gerhardt, Will Nord, Trent Moran, Chris Waterkotte, David Marshall, J.P. Richmiller, Alex Reiter, Nick Paul, Zach Siebers, Marcus Welding, A.J. Holtschlag, Max Dancer, Nick Phillips, Phillip Smith, Jordan Beaber, David Long, Brock Landis, Mitchell Rabe, Evan Waters, Joel Steinkamp, Daniel Yuratis, Michael Weiman, Kodi Daniel, Chris Terstriep, Jack Cornell, Austin Reiter, Michael Hugenberg, Cory Siepker, Quinn Bieniek, Cory Roush, Chris Elbus, Nolan Cloninger. Matt Welding, Alex Waterkotte, Blake Duesterhaus, Cody Smith, Kyle Aschemann, Scott Cornwell, Michael Brecht and Max Lynch.