The long awaited return of high school football had to wait a little longer than expected for the Monmouth-Roseville Titans varsity squad. A 10-2 record and IHSA quarterfinal playoff appearance the season prior had Titan nation ready to get the 2026 campaign going on the road at Erie-Prophetstown for a Three Rivers Conference crossover matchup, however thunderstorms in the area would push the game into a 2 hour lightning delay just minutes before the kickoff. After the teams got the okay to play on around 9 PM, the Panthers special teams got their home crowd reinvigorated with a 70 yard kickoff return from Lane Decker. A big question surrounding the Titans offense in the off-season was how they would respond to a completely brand new offensive line, but on the first drive the running game looked as strong as ever, as senior Lars Bergren put M-R on the board with a 35 yard splash. He also punched in the 2 point conversion, to give the Titans an early 8-6 lead.
After two quick scores from both teams, the Panthers offense took more control of the time of possession, draining nine minutes off the first quarter clock before knocking the door down on a 6 yard touchdown run from Tristan Hovey. Once again though, the kicking game left points on the board for E-P with another missed extra point to keep the score at 12-8. Opening up the second quarter, the Titans pieced together their own long drive, but they would not come away with points as E-P came away with a fourth down fumble backed all the way up to their own 5 yard line. The M-R defense forced their first punt on the ensuing Panthers drive, and the Titans would march back down, this time finishing the drive with a score from senior Landon Montroy, with another conversion from Lars Bergren to put the Titans back on top 16-12. Monmouth-Roseville looked like they had a chance to enter the halftime break with a lead and get the ball back at the second half, however with just 8 seconds left, Lane Decker slipped behind the defense and quarterback Evan Steimle found him for a 39 yard score to take an 18-16 lead after yet another missed PAT.
Both opening 3rd quarter drives followed the same script, as the Titans took the ball in to Panthers territory, but were stopped on a 4th and 7. The ensuing Panthers drive would find their offense facing a similar 4th and 7 in Titans territory, but a wild snap over the head of Evan Steimle would give the Titans the ball at the end of a scoreless 3rd quarter. On their opening drive of the fourth quarter, the Titans offense would once again come up empty on a drive ending inside Panthers territory, this time however E-P would make M-R pay, as on 4th down Steimle’s prayer to the end zone was hauled in by Caleb Brown. A fourth missed PAT by the Panthers would keep the game at one possession with just 5 minutes left, but the Titans found new life on an electric 97 yard touchdown pass from Kane Johnson to Lars Bergren. Needing another successful two point conversion to tie the game up, the Titans offense made critical back to back pre snap penalties that pushed the try back and ultimately led to an incompletion that helped E-P hang on to a 24-22 lead. The Panthers offense picked up pivotal fourth down conversions on their final drive, but an interception in Titans territory by Bergren with 53 second gave Monmouth-Roseville one final chance. With no timeouts the Titans worked their way up near midfield, however Johnson would be sacked with 15 seconds left and the remaining clock would run out on M-R, sealing a 24-22 win for the Panthers.
In the final statbook for the Titans, Lars Bergren racked up 120 yards on the ground and 126 yards through the air with a pair of touchdowns. Landon Montroy also tallied 89 yards and a score on 19 carries for Monmouth-Roseville. The Titans will look to turn the page to a big game next week, as Monmouth will turn on the lights at Coach Dobry Field, welcoming in the Rockridge Rockets. The Titans are looking for their first win over the rival Rockets since 2021.
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