Memorable Week 9 Games

2009 - Peotone @ Westmont - another late victory by the Blue Devils. One thing I remember about this game was how it was played in a torrential downpour and the field was a muddy mess. Luckily, I learned from a very smart coach to put ice bags on your feet to keep them dry from all of the rain and mud. We scored on a 5 yard hitch by our stud who already had 2 key late TD in earlier games. I believe we had quite a few injuries and were sitting some guys in hopes for a good draw for the 1st round. I remember as we were walking into the locker room, Westmont's coaches were collecting their players gear as they returned to their locker room, I think they were 0-9.

2014 - Reed Custer @ Peotone - the most hard-fought game between two 2-6 teams I have ever seen and it came down to the last play of the game. Throughout the game each team would get a drive going and something bad would happen, bad sack, fumble, turnover, something, but we scored right before half go up 7-6 but our KO team allowed a long return and put RC in position to score, luckily they didn't. Usually I have a pretty calm demeanor but I walked into the locker room, hit the whiteboard and went off on the kids. After my tirade I walk into the coaches office with my porkburger and sit down and eat, everybody is quiet and staring at me, I ask them what's up, and the DC, who is now Peotones HC, says, "that scared the hell out of me, where did that come from," I just respond, "I'm hungry and that damn KOR made me wait longer for my burger." Fast forward to the last play of the game, we have a FS who is simply not very good but it is his Senior night, its a meaningless game so he playing. He was always overshadowed by his twin brother who was just ok, but last play of the game, RC runs a double reverse pass, we cover the pass, but this kids comes across the field and makes a play inside the 1 yard line to stop RC from scoring and we win 20-19. This was just a fun game because we had a really bad senior group that only won games becuase of the group ahead of them and the group behind them, but they now were able to win a game mostly by themselves and they all left it on the field.

I'll never forget the SHG @ Cahokia game on week 9 2006. Both teams were pretty stacked with talent and there was a lot of speed on the field. Cahokia had a couple guys who were among the best sprinters in the state. The game was close at halftime with SHG in the lead. This game was easily one of the most physical HS football games I've ever witnessed. The wood was being laid by both teams. SHG blew it open in the 2nd half to win 38-8. I remember driving home thinking that SHG was the team to beat come playoff time. That's how it went down with SHG defeating Woodstock Marian in the 5A title game.

OSUBucks wrote:I'll never forget the SHG @ Cahokia game on week 9 2006. Both teams were pretty stacked with talent and there was a lot of speed on the field. Cahokia had a couple guys who were among the best sprinters in the state. The game was close at halftime with SHG in the lead. This game was easily one of the most physical HS football games I've ever witnessed. The wood was being laid by both teams. SHG blew it open in the 2nd half to win 38-8. I remember driving home thinking that SHG was the team to beat come playoff time. That's how it went down with SHG defeating Woodstock Marian in the 5A title game.

My youngest son played a fair amount in that game (he was a junior) and he got his bell rung on a play early in the second half. He was playing for a while in a daze as he didn't tell anyone important what condition he was in. After the game I was headed home and one of the coaches called my cell to tell me something was wrong with him and he may have a concussion. I turned around and came back to the McDonalds the team had stopped at for burgers after the game. I took him in my car straight to the hospital in Springfield. That was about an hour and twenty minute drive. My wife was trying to keep him awake by talking to him and in that hour twenty he asked me 14 times who won the game. That was a little scary. I got home about 4am after they check him out and observed him for a while.

The collecting of equipment minutes after the game is something I’ll never forget...and it was the most miserable night I’ve coached in. Yes, they finished 0-9.

2018-Massac County @ Salem...we’d struggled mightily the first 7 years here at Salem; week 9 win to clinch the schools first playoff trip in 12 years. My sons junior year and an overachieving senior groups senior night. The game was never close. With the pairings night the next night, definitely one of the more gratifying weekends of my life.

2018 - The only game in my years as HFC we did not have a chance to make the playoffs. Despite this we gutted out a win to go 3-6. It would be my last game as HFC.

OldTitan wrote:2018 - The only game in my years as HFC we did not have a chance to make the playoffs. Despite this we gutted out a win to go 3-6. It would be my last game as HFC.

2018 Week 9 I spent driving down to Freeburg to sit in the booth and spend most of the 1st half trying to figure out how to get a sandwich from the booth and most of the 2nd half thinking about having to drive another 3 hours to get home. I can't tell you a single thing about the game other than it ended and was the last game I would "coach" in..

"This is the way the world ends. Not with a bang, but with a whimper."

southeast(5-3) @ cahokia(6-2) 1993.

1st year of the cs8 with 4 new head coaches. i was dc and we were 5-3 playing the comanches in cahokia. cahokia had kansas te commit, dewey houston, and a rb committed to mizzou. it was a 7:30 start and a cloudy evening. we don't know where the hosts were as we take the field around 6:30. it's getting darker by the minute and no fans in their stands and no one in the press box. now close to 7pm and no lights on. i run up to the press box and just start flipping every switch i can see to try and turn on the lights. the a.d. comes in and asks very snottily if there's something he can do help me. i looked at him and said, 'yeah turn on the effing lights'. long story short, i believe we were down 21-20(not exactly sure). anyway we drive the field and are in the redzone with :07 left on the clock 4th down. we throw a pass to our best wr and he drops the ball. we lose. 5-4 didn't make the playoffs in '93, but it was only the 4th winning season in sehs history.

cahokia(4-4) @ southeast(6-2) 2002.

my first year as head coach. we had lost 2 games by a combined total of 12 points. we had been state ranked for 3 weeks in 6a. great group of kids. we totally dominate cahokia and win setting a school record for 7 wins in a season.

southeast(4-4) @ cahokia(6-2) 2003.

well......let's just say i screwed up and made national news. just trying to get a kid 5,000yds for a career, a rarity in 2003. i didn't realize that in the process we'd break the conference passing record. i resigned the following week. i had a chapter in a book titled 'andy roddick beat me with a frying pan' written by todd gallagher. he saw the progression of me being ran over repeatedly in the media. also had a few favorable articles written about the incident in the ny times and the tribune.

actually this played out well as i went to new berlin(11-1) and then onto shg.

girard(3-5) vs new berlin(8-0) 2004.

i was wr/db/special teams coor. 3 positions that had never before had a specific coach in harrio's tenure. nothing special about the game, but we went 9-0 for only the 2nd time in school history. so that made this a very memorable game.

oops. don't know how i skipped these sehs games.

southeast(5-3) @ centralia(3-5) 1995.

my 3rd year as dc. not a close game, but we won and made the playoffs for the 1st time in sehs history. bob bagby's 3rd and last year as head coach.

bethalto(6-2) @ southeast(4-4) 2001.

the first home game ever on spartan field. the national guard brought in portable bleachers for this game on a dark 1pm saturday game. bethalto had beat us 3 years in a row. each game getting closer to a spartan victory. i started 10 juniors and 1 soph on defense. we destroyed the eagles 42-6 for the 5th win and made the playoffs. really big crowd on hand to dedicate the new field.

OSUBucks wrote:I'll never forget the SHG @ Cahokia game on week 9 2006. Both teams were pretty stacked with talent and there was a lot of speed on the field. Cahokia had a couple guys who were among the best sprinters in the state. The game was close at halftime with SHG in the lead. This game was easily one of the most physical HS football games I've ever witnessed. The wood was being laid by both teams. SHG blew it open in the 2nd half to win 38-8. I remember driving home thinking that SHG was the team to beat come playoff time. That's how it went down with SHG defeating Woodstock Marian in the 5A title game.

on the 1st play of this game, xzavyon jackson flew past my fastest db and left him standing in the dust. luckily he dropped the ball or it could've turned ugly. this game is also memorable because ctbftr dislocated his shoulder(3rd time i believe) late in the game and was very hurt. he was laying on the field and dropped an 'f' bomb. by this time his parents were on the sideline by him. his mom said his name out loud in response to hearing him swear. his reply was 'i effing hurt!' i felt so sorry for him but couldn't help but chuckle.

net wrote:southeast(5-3) @ cahokia(6-2) 1993.

1st year of the cs8 with 4 new head coaches. i was dc and we were 5-3 playing the comanches in cahokia. cahokia had kansas te commit, dewey houston, and a rb committed to mizzou. it was a 7:30 start and a cloudy evening. we don't know where the hosts were as we take the field around 6:30. it's getting darker by the minute and no fans in their stands and no one in the press box. now close to 7pm and no lights on. i run up to the press box and just start flipping every switch i can see to try and turn on the lights. the a.d. comes in and asks very snottily if there's something he can do help me. i looked at him and said, 'yeah turn on the effing lights'. long story short, i believe we were down 21-20(not exactly sure). anyway we drive the field and are in the redzone with :07 left on the clock 4th down. we throw a pass to our best wr and he drops the ball. we lose. 5-4 didn't make the playoffs in '93, but it was only the 4th winning season in sehs history.

cahokia(4-4) @ southeast(6-2) 2002.

my first year as head coach. we had lost 2 games by a combined total of 12 points. we had been state ranked for 3 weeks in 6a. great group of kids. we totally dominate cahokia and win setting a school record for 7 wins in a season.

southeast(4-4) @ cahokia(6-2) 2003.



well......let's just say i screwed up and made national news. just trying to get a kid 5,000yds for a career, a rarity in 2003. i didn't realize that in the process we'd break the conference passing record. i resigned the following week. i had a chapter in a book titled 'andy roddick beat me with a frying pan' written by todd gallagher. he saw the progression of me being ran over repeatedly in the media. also had a few favorable articles written about the incident in the ny times and the tribune.

actually this played out well as i went to new berlin(11-1) and then onto shg.

As far as I'm concerned you are still the best HC Southeast has ever had.

I'll share this since several early to mid-2000s Cahokia teams have been mentioned in this thread: the 2004 Cahokia team had a junior DE who transferred to Jacksonville for the spring semester 2005, but then he transferred back to Cahokia for the 2005 season in the fall. Very big kid who was nothing but solid muscle.

Anyway, at Jacksonville, a group of seniors decided that as part of a senior prank they were going to start a food fight in the cafeteria. The ring leader stood up and yelled "Food fight!" and threw something, I don't remember what. Well, the Cahokia kid was the one who got hit and he stands up and just stares the ring leader down. Needless to say, the food fight progressed no further.

2002 Quincy at Jacksonville: the game itself probably isn't too memorable as it was two non-playoff teams but we did beat the Devils 14-13. Quincy and Jacksonville had a decent rivalry at this time and it was my first time coaching in this game. Another reason it sticks out is the QB who started the season for us got moved to WR in favor of sophomore Brian Anderson and the WR had a pretty decent game this night as we finished a run where we won 3 of our last 4 after an 0-5 start. As I've mentioned before, we had plenty of sophomore starters during this run that were an integral part of the Jacksonville success in 03 and 04.

2003 Jacksonville at Quincy: I believe Quincy made the playoffs this year, but we still handled them fairly easily winning 33-7. This capped a 7-2 regular season for us. What I remember about this game is at some point in the fourth quarter, our student section actually came down onto our sideline and stood on our bench behind our players standing on the sideline. The students were chanting the cheers right along with our cheerleaders literally just a few feet behind us. It was kind of odd but very cool to see the school spirit being displayed at the same time.

2005 Mt. Vernon at Newton. We capped our 9-0 season at Mt. Vernon with a 25-21 win. Newton was very good that year as well and I believe entered this game at 8-0. We ran an inverted wishbone at Mt. Vernon that year and I remember they stopped our dives, powers, and counters all game and then finally we started running primarily sweeps in the second half and our tailback had a big game. Prior to the game, our QB takes the field and yells as loud as he can "Yeah, baby, let's show them what 6A football is all about!" Well, a group of Newton and Mt. Vernon coaches discussing things heard this and the Newton HC looked at us and asked, "Is he always like that?" Our HC answered, "Yeah, pretty much..." It was definitely a unique group I was a part of at Mt. Vernon that year.

2007 Mendon Unity at Beardstown. I had not experienced an 0-9 season (yet...) and both our varsity and JV entered this week 0-8. Beardstown had one 1 or 2 games. We won a rather hotly contested game 34-26. I was varsity OL coach and we had well over 300 yards rushing with all freshmen and sophomores playing on the OL. Another reason I remember this game is at one point when Beardstown was driving we got called for an awful pass interference call. I was up in the booth and let loose with some colorful language in expressing my exasperation with the call. Well, after the game, someone representing Beardstown in the booth called me out on my language. In not one of my prouder moments, I replied, "Well, you know what: F*** you too!"

2008--West Hancock at Pittsfield: My first year coaching for my alma mater and we went to a very good Pittsfield team to end our season. They were 7-1 coming in while we were playing out the string at 3-5. What I remember about this game is a very valiant effort from our kids who really didn't have anything to play for. We lost 30-29 and we even had a late two-point conversion attempt that could have won the game for us. We ran the Wing T (with the exception of two years, WH always has since their inception in 2004) but our QB had almost 300 hundred total yards off running waggle alone.

2010 West Hancock at Monmouth Roseville: I can tell you a little more than HI did in his post, because I can tell you we beat them in a close game to avoid an 0-8 season (we had a game "lighteninged out" and never made up) but things soured on me quickly at my alma mater. I knew this was my last game coaching for the Titans and I couldn't get out of there fast enough.

2012 Keokuk at Fort Madison: a very decent rivalry game so to go with my post about Jacksonville-Quincy this was my first time coaching in it as a member of Keokuk's staff. For those you wondering how many places I've been at, I'm still at Keokuk so hopefully I've found the job I'll retire from. Anyway, Fort Madison was BAD this year but they jumped out to a 14-0 lead on us. A little background: Lee county Iowa is the only county in the nation (I've been told) that has two county seats. So, this game is played for the count seat: a chair decorated with both teams' colors. No one thought to even bring the chair to the field as we were that confident we would destroy them. As the FM player is running into the endzone to make it 13-0 them, our OC says into the headset, "Well, sh**...maybe someone needs to grab that chair after all..." We did end up winning big, something like 62-39.

2016 Keokuk vs Mt. Pleasant: I'll be short with this one as I'm tired of typing but we beat Mt. Pleasant to cap a 6-3 season. I know I've said this before but most expected an 0-9 or 1-8 season out of this group. We didn't make the playoffs even with that record based on Iowa's structure but still a very nice capper to the season: we had well over 500 yards of offense and had a 92 yard pass TD and a 60something yard TD rushing in a 49-28 win.

Unfortunately in my coaching career, most of my seasons have ended after Week 9 which is probably why I have so many to share on this week. I honestly could have written about at least two more...

2003- Morris Freshman- 7, Plainfield South Freshman- 0

My all-time favorite game. I was the head freshman coach, we were 7-1, Plainfield South was 8-0 and hadn't been scored upon since week 1 of the season. They were loaded, had 120 kids out compared to our 65. We went toe-to-toe with them in a very physical contest that was tied 0-0 at half. I remember I told our kids were going to onside kick to start the second half & my DC looked at me and said, "Are you nuts?"

I said, "We practiced it all week, we're doing it." He about had a kitten. We recovered it, but couldn't do anything with it.

With about 5 minutes to go in the 4th quarter we flipped into the Lonesome Polecat and two plays later we were in the endzone. We then held on for dear life and pulled off the upset to win the conference title. This was the game that I really learned that I could coach & that I knew what I was doing on the sidelines.

2005: Morris 49, Plainfield South 34. We were cruising along on the way to the playoffs undefeated and untested to this point. We hadn't been behind in a game all year. Plainfield Central, who finished 4-5 that year were fighting for their playoff lives and their head coach, the late John Jackson, came out and punched us in the mouth. We were down 21-7 before we knew what happened, but we scored 3 times in third quarter and went on to win 49-34.