We will once again have two games on Prairieland Media Sports tonight, with United still searching for their first win and Monmouth-Roseville looking to get back on track in Week 5.
Starting with the United Red Storm, they will look to turn the page tonight as they return home for Homecoming and the start of Lincoln Trail Conference division play.
United fell to 0-4 last week after a 54-14 loss to Elmwood-Brimfield. After three close games to open the season, Week 4 was the first one to get away from the Red Storm, as Elmwood-Brimfield piled up nearly 400 yards on the ground. Head Coach Andrew Goodwin says the focus this week has been on putting that loss in the rearview mirror.
Now the Red Storm get a fresh start in division play against an Abingdon-Avon squad that enters at 3-1 after a 33-26 win over Farmington last week. The Tornadoes have already secured a postseason spot under the new IHSA playoff format.
Goodwin says he has challenged his team to treat the start of division play like a new season.
“I walked in Monday at our meeting. I said you can treat the four games as an NFL preseason. We’ve played a tough nonconference schedule, and the kids are battle tested. I think they are ready for the challenge. I said all week we have to practice at a championship caliber that we are capable of doing. I looked at them every day this week, and I told them, ‘Hey, you are a championship caliber team.’ Conference play starts now, and you have a chance to go take something that is rightfully yours. You just have to practice and prep at that standard.”
United will host A-Town tonight for Homecoming as both teams open division play.
The Monmouth-Roseville Titans will also be looking to get back on track tonight as they make the long trip to take on Spring Valley Hall.
The Titans enter Week 5 at 1-3 after falling to Princeton last Friday. Monmouth-Roseville jumped out to an early lead and went into halftime tied at 14 before Princeton was able to take control in the second half.
Spring Valley Hall enters tonight at 0-4 and is coming off a 23-12 loss to Mendota. Despite the record, Head Coach Jeremy Adolphson says there is plenty of urgency for the Titans as they look to pick up their second win and start building some momentum.
“I do think it’s a situation where there is some urgency. We got to get this one this week, and then that’s 2-3, and then we start trying to build ourselves back. We try to get to .500 and see what happens there. But I have been really pleased overall with the mentality of what I see in front of my face at school and at practice because I don’t feel like anybody’s just accepting, ‘We’re just not good this year, we’re just not good enough,’ or whatever the case may be. I think there is still a lot of positivity there, and I think just like anything else in life, whether it’s a teenager or adult, you got to have some success to build confidence sometimes, and you got to have confidence to be successful. Sometimes you need to get it going a little bit, and things can change drastically.”
The Titans will be on the road tonight at Spring Valley Hall, while United hosts A-Town. Both games are scheduled for 7 PM.
United and A-Town can be heard on WRAM AM 1330 and FM 95.7, while Monmouth-Roseville and Spring Valley Hall can be heard on Sunny 97.7 WMOI. Both games will also be available online at radiomonmouth.com, with pregame coverage beginning at 6:30.
