Titans set for quarterfinal matchup

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Annawan/Wethersfield’s lone loss this season came in a 33-0 Week 2 defeat to Mercer County. The Titans’ Week 3 playoff opponents, Gibson City-Melvin Sibley, punched their tickets into the 2A quarterfinals by blowing out that same Mercer County squad, 60-19.

It might be easy to think that the Titans are heavy underdogs when they host the Falcons Saturday at Wethersfield High School, but not according to A/W head coach Brandon Johnston.

“We’ve been telling our kids you can’t use score comparisons, and not just in this game, it’s been all year. You just can’t look at scores and compare things accurately,” Johnston said. “Teams prepare for other teams in different ways.

“In watching film it’s very obvious Gibson City is a good team. Not to take anything way from them, but I think they played a great game (last week), and Mercer County didn’t play very good at all,” Johnston said.

The Titans have come a long way since that Week 2 loss to the Golden Eagles Johnston said.

“Honestly, I think we’re just a totally different team,” Johnston said. “It’s my first year here as head coach, and in Week 2 there were still parts of the system that we were trying to get in place, personnel decisions we were tinkering with.”

Johnston’s Titans played a great game as well last Saturday, topping Amboy/LaMoille 33-21.

“All around I think we played a very good football game,” Johnston said. “We did a lot of things right in all phases of the game.”

Titans’s running back Nathan Long and quarterback Sean Walker took care of all the scoring for the Titans offense last week. Long busted TD runs of 38 and 85 yards, as he finished with 139 yards on only 12 carries.

Walker, who lined up at quarterback, running back and wide receiver against the Clippers, accumulated 84 yards rushing with three touchdown runs and hauled in a 27-yard reception. Walker came up big on defense as well, intercepting two passes as the Titans advanced to 10-1 on the season.

“Sean is just a tremendous competitor,” Johnston said. “There was no question going into the playoffs that Sean cold be a difference maker, and he has proven that the past couple weeks,” Johnston said.

GCMS’ offense keys on running back Michael Romshek, who leads the team in both rushing with 1,610 yards on 189 carries (8.5 ypc), and receiving with 19 grabs for 403 yards. All told, Romsheck has scored 27 touchdowns for a Falcons’ offense that averages nearly 37 points a game.

“First and foremost we’re going to have to gameplan to contain him as much as possible,” Johnston said. “I don’t think with a kid of his caliber you can totally shut him down.”

The Titans hold a slight defensive advantage going into the contest, having allowed an average of only 10.5 points per contest, while the Falcons have given up just over 15.

The Titans are confident that if they can work their game plan they will come out on the winning end of things Saturday.

“If we can contain their run game and continue to be diverse on offense, we like our chances. We like how we’ve been playing recently,” Johnston said.

Notes: GCMS’ lone loss came in Week 2, where they fell 40-12 at the hands of undefeated Heart of Illinois conference champ Lexington ...The Falcons topped Riverdale 25-6 in their opening round playoff matchup....Falcon QB Stephan Birt has thrown for 1,085 yards with 12 TDs and six interceptions this season ...The Falcons have qualified for the playoffs for the past six straight years ... A/W’s backup QB Jake DeJaegger went 4-4 passing with 119 yards last week, giving the Titan offense a different look with Walker at wide receiver ... A/W is averaging just over 34 points per game offensively.

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