Trojans volleyball best in state!

The Trojans volleyball team rocked state over the weekend and come away state champions! Way to go girls!

That is the Trojans first state title in any sport, but The rant is pretty sure it's not the last. What a great example of teamwork and talent.

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The Rant was in seventh heaven on Saturday afternoon with three local playoff football games and another to follow at night, along with lots of state volleyball.

The Rant heard a lot of folks sayin’ that De La Salle was gonna give the Trojans some trouble. But after puttin’ a 42-0 whippin’ on the Meteors, is there anybody who still does not believe in this team?

How many times do you see a team puttin’ in the second string in a playoff game and then havin’ the second unit “O” take it into the end zone under a runnin’ clock? That was a dominating win by a team that looks destined to play down state.

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The Rant has to give major props to The Ridge for its win over Belvidere North. They were a bit shaky in the first half but really got it together and came away with the win. A huge part of that win was the Wolves’ defense stoppin’ a two-point conversion attempt that would have given the Thunder the lead. Instead the Wolves kept a one-point lead and then added to it when they took the onside kick back for a touchdown.

Sounds a lot like what happened  to the Tigers in the CL Community game last week.

The Wolves now get to play The Grove and will need to pull off the biggest upset of the season to get to state. But as they say, “that’s why the play the game.” One thing for sure is they will have no pressure on them to win and sometimes that can elevate a team, no to mention a chance at more hardware.

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In the ol’ stompin’ match out at The Burg, the Rockets beat the Skyhawks and will travel to Geneseo to play in the semifinal. R-B was able to use the pass to get some TDs and that showed nice balance, which could come in handy over the next two weeks.

The Skyhawks scored first but then the Rockets defense got stingy and only allowed a field goal the rest of the way. Speakin’ of which, The Rant was told that the 52-yard FG by JBurg’s Thomas Kinney tied a playoff record. The caught R-B a little off-guard, and a lot of people probably were surprised when it cleared the crossbar.

The Rockets pulled away in the second half and the defense was very good. This is the second consecutive trip to the semifinals for R-B. They mighta just been happy to be there last year, but this time ya know they expect to win.

They now play Geneseo, who  they beat, 21-0, last season in the quarterfinals.

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If ya want to talk offenses don't forget about Woodstock. The Rant is not sure what they're puttin' in the water up there but coach Beard has got those boys playin' some serious football. They put up 44 points in their quarterfinal win over Glenbard South and now they move on to play at Montini. That's a No. 7 and a No. 12 seed in the semifinals so we know they are both red hot.

What a wild ride for the Streaks and we all get to watch. Your my boy blue!

The Rant has got to admit that he never throught three local teams would be goin' to state, now The Rant is bettin' on it!

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Give The Rant your thoughts on this historic weekend of playoff football.

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On the state volleyball front Harvard took fourth place in Class 2A. What a great season for the Hornets!

The Tigers finished in fourth place in Class 3A after runnin’ into some tough teams. Another great season for coach Doug Blundy and his girls, who have brought home first and fourth place trophies from state in the last three years.

The Trojans had one of the best volleyball come-backs The Rant has ever seen to get to the championship game. The Rant likes their chances with all that momentum.

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