Leaving no doubt: Blue Devils start WB6 title defense by overwhelming Rocks in all facets

Rock Island running back Temar Hudson is swallowed up by Quincy High School’s King Johnson (71), Ben Schelp (6) and Ryland Bloyd (53) during the first quarter of Friday night’s Western Big 6 Conference game at Flinn Stadium. | David Adam photo

QUINCY — Quincy High School wanted to make a statement as it opened defense of its Western Big 6 Conference football championship. The Blue Devils delivered a powerful one. Scoring on all six offensive possessions in the first half while limiting Rock Island to just one first down, QHS opened a 41-0 halftime lead Friday…

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Once Rocks get Goeh-ing, Blue Devils unable to slow them down while suffering WB6 loss

Quincy High School's Logan Epping, right, looks to cut inside a Rock Island defender during the first half of Tuesday night's Western Big 6 Conference game at Flinn Stadium. | Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — Goeh means go. The Quincy High School boys soccer team had no way to stop that. Rock Island forward Benjamin Goeh netted the first of his three goals Tuesday night in the 14th minute, setting the stage for the Rocks to roll out of Flinn Stadium with a 4-1 Western Big 6 Conference…

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Photo gallery: Blue Devils, Rocks square off in WB6 action on Flinn Stadium pitch

Quincy High School forward Trace Routh, left, tangles with Rock Island's Ler Bwe during Tuesday night's Western Big 6 Conference game at Flinn Stadium. | Matt Schuckman photo

To purchase digital downloads or prints of Muddy River Sports photos,click here to visit our SmugMug site. QUINCY — The Rock Island boys soccer team scored two goals in each half Tuesday night and headed home with a 4-1 victory over Quincy High School in Western Big 6. Conference play at Flinn Stadium. Muddy River…

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‘I think it came down to toughness’: Blue Devils’ strong second half carries them to WB6 crown

Quincy High School senior Tyler Sprick, left, and junior Keshaun Thomas helped the Blue Devils beat Rock Island 48-46 Thursday night in Rock Island, Ill., to capture the Western Big 6 Conference championship. | Muddy River Sports file photo

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — Nobody can say Quincy High School didn’t earn the 2023-24 Western Big 6 Conference boys basketball championship. The state’s Class 4A fifth-ranked Blue Devils beat Rock Island for the second time in three days on Thursday evening, using a similar script to Tuesday’s home victory. Getting enough offense at the right…

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Blue Devils clamp down on high-scoring Rocks, force winner-take-all WB6 championship game on Thursday

The defensive presence of Quincy High School junior forward Keshaun Thomas helped the Blue Devils dispatch Rock Island 58-49 on Tuesday night at Blue Devil Gym. | Muddy River Sports file photo

QUINCY — To take advantage of the switching man-to-man defense used by the Quincy High School boys basketball team, Rock Island tried to isolate K.J. Lamonte, its top scorer, on Keshaun Thomas, the Blue Devils’ 6-foot-5 junior forward. Every time Lamonte tried to slash to the basket in the first half, Thomas forced him to…

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Unrelenting defensive effort carries QHS girls basketball team to WB6 victory over Rocky

Quincy High School guard Leah Chevalier, left, looks to throw a pass to the post during Thursday night's game against Rock Island at the QHS gym. | Addi Zanger photo

QUINCY — The Quincy High School girls basketball team put a disappointing loss behind it. Another dynamic defensive effort helped do that. Rock Island made just one field goal in the first quarter of Thursday night’s Western Big 6 Conference game at the QHS gym, trailed by as many as 14 points early and couldn’t…

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Photo gallery: QHS football team opens WB6 play by crushing Rock Island

Quincy High School running back Jeraius Rice looks for running room against Rock Island during last Friday's Western Big 6 Conference opener against Rock Island at Almquist Field in Rock Island, Ill. | Photo courtesy Bridgett Zanger

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — The Quincy High School football team set the appropriate tone for its pursuit of a Western Big 6 Conference championship, opening league play last Friday night with a 41-7 victory over Rock Island at Almquist Field. Bridgett Zanger put together this photo gallery from the Blue Devils’ victory and shared it…

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Rock and roll: Blue Devils invoke running clock with overwhelming effort at Rocky in WB6 opener

The Quincy High School football team takes the field to start an offensive possession during Friday night's game against Rock Island at Almquist Field in Rock Island, Ill. | Photo courtesy Bridgett Zanger

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — A good high school football team is usually driven by a handful of standouts. When you have a bushel of stars, great things come. Quincy High School is one of those kinds of teams. It is hard to find a place where there is a hole on this Quincy team and…

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Quarter century of memories: Douglas’ career night against Rocky lands Blue Devils WB6 crown

Quincy High School coach Andy Douglas enjoyed his finest moment as a player against Rock Island, scoring a career-high 30 points in a victory in 2000 that captured the Western Big 6 Conference crown. | Matt Schuckman photo

Muddy River Sports Editor Matt Schuckman began covering the Quincy High School boys basketball program during the 1998-99 season, and since he recently wrapped up his 25th season following the Blue Devils, he put together a list of his 25 most memorable games. Here is today’s installment: February 26, 2000 — Quincy 76, Rock Island 66 QUINCY…

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QND girls click on all cylinders, completely dismantle Rock Island to reach 20-victory plateau

Quincy Notre Dame guard Blair Eftink and the Raiders shut out Rock Island in the first quarter Saturday, leading to a 73-20 victory at The Pit. | Matt Schuckman file photo

QUINCY — Quincy Notre Dame girls basketball coach Eric Orne felt it was only a matter of time before an opponent witnessed the best his team had to offer.  Rock Island can testify to how good that can be. The top-ranked team in Class 2A pitched a first-quarter shutout on its way to a one-sided…

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Fourth-quarter flurry enables Blue Devils to fight way past Rocks for critical WB6 victory

Quincy High School's Dominique Clay lays the ball in off the glass during Friday night's Western Big 6 Conference game against Rock Island at Blue Devil Gym. | Photo courtesy Mathew Kirby

QUINCY — The words rolled from Bradley Longcor III in matter-of-fact fashion. “We’re a good team,” the Quincy High School sophomore said. And more times than not, good teams find ways to win games. Friday night at Blue Devil Gym was a classic case in point. Fueled by a scintillating second half at both ends…

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‘What if magic happens?’: Senior linebacker’s INT critical to helping QHS football team navigate epic comeback

Quincy High School's Ty Douglas, right, and Jett Noble, left, take down a Rock Island ballcarrier during Friday night's Western Big 6 Conference game at Flinn Stadium. | Photo courtesy Samantha Carmean

QUINCY — Down 28-0 to Rock Island on Senior Night at Flinn Stadium, Quincy High School senior linebacker Kory Fletcher tried to keep a good attitude. “I kept thinking, ‘What if magic happens?’ ” Fletcher said. “And magic happened.” The Blue Devils rallied from that first-half deficit to pull out a thrilling 47-42 Western Big…

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‘This is our team up on the wall’: Blue Devils finish off Rocks to guarantee themselves share of WB6 championship

The Quincy High School boys basketball team and the the student cheering section celebrate on the Blue Devil Gym floor after beating Rock Island 49-47 Friday night to earn no worse than a share of the Western Big 6 Conference championship. Matt Schuckman photo

QUINCY — To leave a legacy within Quincy High School’s tradition-rich boys basketball program, you have to put a number on the wall. Jeremiah Talton finally gets that opportunity. Bradley Longcor III and his classmates may end up doing it multiple times. Friday night, these Blue Devils earned the right to be part of history…

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‘It sucked the life right out of Rocky’: Back-to-back 3-pointers propel Blue Devils to top of WB6 standings

Rock Island's Terrmell Akers, left, and Quincy's Bradley Longcor III go after a loose ball during the first half of Friday night’s Western Big 6 Conference game at Rock Island, Ill. Photo courtesy Gary Krambeck, Dispatch/Argus

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — Over the course of a six-minute span of the second half Friday night in which the Quincy High School boys basketball team chiseled a 13-point deficit down to one, Rock Island never lost its energy or its swagger. That is until Jeremiah Talton and Ralph Wires took it away. The senior…

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Rocks dash Blue Devils’ playoff hopes with overwhelming defense in second half

Rock Island's Jaquai Scott jumps on the back of Quincy's Peyton Weech during a Western Big 6 Conference game Friday at Almquist Field. Photo courtesy Bobby Metcalf/QC Times

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — The Quincy High School football team created a glimmer of hope in its pursuit of a playoff berth. It faded with one bad snap. Despite allowing Rock Island to score touchdowns on its first three possessions Friday night at Almquist Field, the Blue Devils were in perfect striking distance down 21-18…

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