Moline ready to kick off the second season Saturday versus Andrew

MOLINE, Ill. (KWQC) - This season has been special for the Moline Maroons, and Saturday, they will look to continue this special season in the playoffs.

“I mean, this is the most exciting time of the year, but you have to do a lot of things over the course of the regular season to earn these opportunities, andit goes all the way back really to January. We start the offseason stuff with these guys and watching them get after it and start that bond and kind of come together as a group, and then they’ve done enough on the field this fall to earn an opportunity to, you know, be out here on a Friday, Saturday, I should say, Saturday afternoon in front of our community and represent our program at ”

“It’s kind of like,it’sjust like unreal. I like how far like this group has just come to be where we are right now in a great big position to make a run in the playoffs.”

The Western Big Six champions finished the regular season with eight straight wins, and the game that started the streak, a one-point, overtime win over Sycamore was where this group knew they had something special.

“It was Sycamore. When the Sycamore game hit and we had that overtime win, I knew like we really, that was the time we’ve been like tested. First game of the season we lost, unfortunately. It was a close game, but we lost, but Sycamore, that win and everybody getting hype, and I knew this was a group to get it done. Like we’d be able to go far in the playoffs for sure.”

After not losing a single game this year in the state of Illinois, Moline is the five seed in the class 7A playoffs.

“It felt nice, honestly. It felt like,just that five was a reminder of what we’ve done in the regular season.I think that like that five seed showcases we put in some really hard work, but also after the seeding comes out, we’re worried about the next game.I think honestly, like playoff seeding only takes you so far. The 5 seed, it’s just a stepping stone for us, I’d say.”

Coach Morrisey says this team may be as prepared as any Moline squad to make a run this postseason.

“That ‘21 group was very talented. The ‘22 group, I think, just kind of had more belief in themselves and what we were doing. This group is very similar. You know, we come out to practice, it’s exciting, it’s high energy, they want to be here, and that’s the biggest thing, is that they want to be around each other. They want to be here on the practice field. They want to be able to play more games together and spend more time together. You know, as a coach, that’s by far and away the most rewarding thing.”

Despite it not being a typical Friday night game at Browning Field, the Maroons will be ready to go on a Saturday afternoon against a tough Andrew team from Tinley Park.

“I mean, they’re big. They’re physical. They’re very disciplined. They’re well coached. They don’t make a lot of mistakes. They don’t beat themselves. They don’t turn the ball over. Defensively, I mean, they fly to the ball. They’re very aggressive. You can tell that they played really good competition.”

“Offensively, we definitely need to muscle up. I mean, they’re a big squad. They got a big squad, but I think we’re a quick and more athletic squad.”