BCR Week 8 notebook: Mendota’s turf is Noah LaPorte’s home away from home

Bryant Field is unquestionably Noah LaPorte’s favorite field, but Mendota’s turf may be a close second.

Two years ago, the Princeton all-stater set a single-game school record with 206 receiving yards and four touchdowns.

For an encore, the senior caught three passes for 88 yards and two scores in the Tigers’ 57-14 win Friday at Mendota.

He will end his career with 294 receiving yards and six TD catches on the Trojans’ turf.

“I guess it’s something about playing here,” LaPorte said. “I turn it on.”

LaPorte, who is a Northwestern commit, said he’ll never forget his record-setting night at Mendota in 2022 because everyone was reminding him of it before their game Friday.

“I’m not going to forget that moment,” he said. “It’s a great feeling just to kick-start that win streak we had.”

Tough act to follow

Princeton coach Ryan Pearson listened in on LaPorte’s postgame interview Friday as he explained that the Tigers had not played their best ball yet.

“We know that,” LaPorte said. “We’re trying to play a complete game.”

When it was his turn for an interview, Pearson said with a laugh, “I don’t know if I can follow [No.] 11. He’s good.”

Joe Ryan wins 200th game

Former Princeton coach Joe Ryan, now at Sycamore, earned his 200th career victory with the Spartans’ 28-13 victory at L-P Friday.

He is 147-74 in 21 seasons at Sycamore. He didn’t have his first winning season until his sixth year, but now has 15 in the past 16 years.

Ryan left Princeton in 2003 as the winningest coach in school history with 44 wins (44-43), since passed by Ryan Pearson, who is approaching a milestone of his own.

Before coming to Princeton in 1995, Ryan was the head coach at Eureka in 1993 and 1994, going 9-9.

“It means a lot,” said Ryan, who is 200-126 (.613) in 32 seasons as a head coach. “We’ve had some really good teams here, some really good kids. I’ve had some great coaches along the way that helped us. This is 200 wins on my record, but a lot of people had a lot to do with that.”

Ryan comes from a strong football family. His brother, Pat, retired after 30 seasons as head coach at Metamora where he posted a 268-74 record with two state championships (2007, 2009) and seven state final appearances. He is now the Director of Illinois High School Relations at the University of Illinois.

First fumble recovery

Princeton’s junior lineman Rhett Pearson pounced on a Mendota fumble at the Tigers’ 31-yard line. Five plays later, LaPorte scored on a 20-yard TD pass from QB Will Lott for their first score of the game.

It was Pearson’s first career fumble recovery and one that made the Tigers head coach, Pearson’s dad, happy.

“All streaks start with one,” coach Ryan Pearson said.

When suggested that feat should earn Rhett a treat at Dairy Queen or Prime Quarter Steakhouse, he savored the thought while the Tigers coach wasn’t so sure.

Trojans throw out new wrinkle

Mendota threw out a new look on offense for the first time Friday against Princeton with a split line of scrimmage and most of its line away from the quarterback and center.

Mendota coach Keegan Hill was pleased with its success.

“We were 50% on execution on the two unconventional formations Friday night. It did provide a spark,” Hill said. “We hit a ‘Polecat’ formation completion for 18 yards on the first drive. We were sacked later in the game on a ‘Pods’ formation.”

Mercer County coach suspended

Mercer County coach Tanner Matlick will not be making the trip to Princeton with the Golden Eagles on Friday.

According to Ty Taylor of WRMJ Radio in Aledo, Matlick has been suspended indefinitely and assistant coach Jason Kenney has been named interim head coach.

In a statement to WRMJ, Mercer County Superintendent Tim Farquer said this action “is not the result of a singular event, but a culmination of a series of events resulting in a climate and culture below the expectations of the school district and the community.”

The Golden Eagles are 3-4 this year and 9-8 in two seasons under Matlick, who is a 2013 Mercer County graduate.

Inside the numbers

There were some interesting numbers from Friday’s Princeton-Mendota game that stood out.

Princeton scored so quickly it didn’t have the ball in its hands all that often as indicated in Mendota’s edge in time of possession, 37:08 to 10:52.

The Tigers faced only one third down all night, an incomplete pass that led to halftime, faced no fourth downs and had no need to punt.

Mon-Rose making history

It’s been a history making-season for Monmouth-Roseville.

The Titans clinched their first outright conference championship in school history with Friday’s 35-14 win at Hall, finishing 5-0 atop the Three Rivers Mississippi Division and snapping Princeton’s six-year reign.

The Titans are 7-0 for the first time, which ties a school record for most regular-season wins (2012 and 2018).