Raiders put cap on undefeated run through Central State 8 in debut season in league

DECATUR, Ill. — The Quincy Notre Dame football team made quite a splash.

Now it’s time to make an even bigger one.

Friday night’s 28-7 victory at Decatur MacArthur left the Raiders as the only undefeated team in the Central State 8 Conference as QND won the West Division championship and both crossover games in its first season as a football-only member of the league.

“I think the exciting thing is we’re just kind of gearing up,” QND coach Jack Cornell said. “We have our best football in front of us. We’re sitting in a good spot.”

Just how good that spot is will be revealed Saturday night.

The Raiders, ranked No. 1 in the most recent Class 2A Associated Press state poll, won their eighth consecutive game and are virtually guaranteed a first-round home playoff game when the Illinois High School Association releases the pairings during a live show Saturday night.

Having played and beaten opponents anywhere from twice to four times bigger in enrollment during the win streak gives the Raiders confidence anything is possible.

“It’s the time of our lives,” Cornell said. “It’s a blessing to be around guys that just believe in each other and push each other and aren’t afraid to push other. The best teams I’ve been around my entire life are player-driven teams.”

This group is driven by playmakers.

QND built a 21-0 lead by halftime, getting a 6-yard touchdown pass from Hunter Schuckman to Taylin Scott in the first quarter and an 18-yard scoring strike from Schuckman to Gavin Doellman in the second quarter. The Raiders made it a three-score game after senior safety Wyatt Mueller intercepted a pass deep in QND territory and then ripped off a 92-yard touchdown run out of the wildcat formation.

Mueller finished with 110 yards rushing on nine carries, while starting tailback Ivan Hun had 140 yards on 19 carries. Oliver Triplett finished with 49 yards rushing on seven carries, including a 19-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to put the game away. 

“I thought we ran the ball really well,” Cornell said. “We had a plan coming in where we wanted to run between the tackles and be downhill running the football team., I thought we did a good job of getting that going.”

The Generals put together one solid scoring drive in the second half, holding the ball for more than nine minutes before getting a 2-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter. MacArthur rushed for 164 yards overall, but never really threatened the Raiders otherwise.

“We were able to corral their playmakers,” Cornell said.