Last year does not equal this year. That’s an early lesson relearned from the first third of the high school football regular season.
Our two selected games this week would normally be crucial, key games that help decide conference championships. But three of our four teams featured in the Red Zone Game of the Week presented by Illinois National Bank are out of the gate slowly after stellar seasons a year ago.
Our main game will feature 2-1 Washington hosting 0-3 Metamora in the traditional matchup of the top two Mid Illini teams. Washington and Metamora have combined to win 27 of the past 35 championships since the league’s inception. Longtime area football, baseball and hockey coach Mike Olson and I will have the call.
Washington lost its only home game thusfar, a tough, tight game with perennial state power Morris. Metamora, meanwhile, opened with two road, non-conference losses before losing its home opener to resurgent, 3-0 Morton last week.
The Big Twelve game of the week, from a Peoria perspective is our secondary game: 1-2 Notre Dame at 1-2 Peoria High, the defending Class 5A state champs. This game was a shootout last year, with Peoria High winning the wild, high-scoring contest at rain-soaked Dozer Park in the Shamrock Classic 2 (see below). Last week, the Lions took out their frustrations of an 0-2 start to pummel winless Urbana, while PND lost to Normal Community. Hear Tom Meredith from the Stadium.
Jason Glick, the Red Zone’s studio producer since our inception seven years ago, tracks down the scores from all the area games. You can listen to our game on our booming 95.5 FM signal or listen online here from anywhere, same goes for our free GLO station phone app.
When the Friday night lights go on, tune in to our unprecedented high school football coverage with the Red Zone Game of the Week presented by Illinois National Bank on Peoria’s home for classic rock and football, 95.5, GLO.
Doc Watson
