Quincy High School product Matt Bush is getting the chance to live out a dream.

Bush, who graduated from QHS in 2007 after helping the Blue Devils win a Western Big Six Conference championship and reach the sectional finals, has walked on and made the roster at University of Illinois-Chicago. Bush spent the previous two seasons at Black Hawk Community College.

Click here to view Bush’s profile on the UIC Web site.

Look for more on Bush and how the opportunity to join the Flames came about later this week in The Herald-Whig.

Baseball is wrapped in tradition. Athough some have gone by the wayside, most traditions remain. So have you ever wondered where or how these traditions began?

Some quick research unveiled some interesting answers.

How did the seventh inning of a baseball game become the time to stretch?

Apparently the tradition dates back to a Washington Senators-Philadelphia Athletics game played on April 14, 1910. President William Howard Taft was in attendance, and by the seventh inning, he’d become uncomfortable in his seat. So in the middle of the inning, he got up to stretch. Everyone in attendance thought the President was standing to leave, so they stood as a sign of respect. The game was even halted for a brief moment at that point.

President Barack Obama throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at the All-Star Game in St. Louis.

Thus, the seventh inning stretch was born.

What about the rally cap? Can you trace its origin?

Apparently, you can.

In 1942, to help the Detroit Tigers attempt to win in come-from-behind fashion, fans at Tiger Stadium would turn their caps inside out. However, it wasn’t until 1945 that the superstition garnered national attention. During Game 5 against the Chicago Cubs, the Tigers went into the sixth inning tied, but several players in their dugout were spotted wearing their caps inside out. A radio announcer even mentioned it. The Tigers scored four times that inning, went on to win the game 8-4 and eventual win the series in seven games.

Thus, the rally cap was born.

Who threw out the first ceremonial first pitch?

President William Howard Taft must have been a real baseball fan. When the Washington Senators opened the 1910 season at Griffith Stadium, Taft was asked to throw out the first pitch. He did so from his seat in the grandstand, throwing a short distance to the Senators catcher. Since then, every President has thrown out a ceremonial first pitch for Opening Day, the All-Star Game or the World series. President Barack Obama threw out the first pitch at this year’s All-State Game in St. Louis.

Thus, it has become a tradition.

Tim Thornton knows there is something special brewing with the Peoria Woodruff football program.

He simply won’t get to see it unfold.

The Warriors start 11 underclassmen on offense, but a decision by the Peoria School Board last Monday means they likely won’t play together as seniors — at least not for Woodruff. The District 150 voted to close Woodruff at the end of the school year, meaning this will be the last season for the Warriors.

“I would have loved to have been able to see this team next year,” said Thornton, in his sixth season as Woodruff’s coach.

It was the first blow the Warriors took in an emotional week.

Friday, the Illinois High School Association ruled the Warriors had to forfeit a season-opening victory against East Peoria because they used an ineligble player. Tyshawn Burch, who rushed for 315 yards and five TDs in that game, was suspended for violating the school’s athletic code.

The incident happened before the season began but did not come to light until after the Warriors played. The IHSA said he should have been ineligible for Week 1, thus the reason for the forfeit.

Friday night, things didn’t get much better with a 37-6 loss to Quincy Notre Dame.

“There have been a lot of distractions,” Thornton said. “Even with all of that happening, you still need to come out and execute. … We didn’t execute at all.

“We had some minds that were in different places. That’s going to happen in life. It happens to adults every day. These guys, they’ll learn how to battle through that. Some of them did. We had a handful of guys play, play, play really hard.”

Playing the mental game

QND coach Bill Connell wanted to make sure the Raiders didn’t take the Mid-State Six Conference game for granted, so he talked about South Carolina’s 16-10 upset of No. 4 Ole Miss on Thursday night.

“You’ve got to make sure as a coach that you lay examples out there so your team knows tonight is not the night, we’re not having a letdown tonight,” Connell said. “We’re playing football.

“I think football is a very emotional game, and tonight, we laid the emotions out there on the field.”

Hit of the Year nominee

Another week, another flattened Peoria ballcarrier.

This time, QND defensive tackle Connor Miller put Woodruff’s Khyree Jones in the crosshairs and flat-backed the Warriors receiver on a toss sweep in the first quarter.

The play was negated by an illegal use of hands penalty on Woodruff, but Miller’s hit will certainly be one to remember.

End of a streak

QND linebacker Cody Boots sighed when asked about allowing a touchdown for the first time since the season opener.

“It was a tough one,” Boots said.

A pass interference penalty on a second-and-10 pass deep down the left sideline helped Woodruff sustain its lone scoring drive, which ended with a 2-yard pass from Adam Gutierrez to Deontray Dorsey.

It ended a streak of 15 consecutive scoreless quarters, but it didn’t diminish how well the QND defense played once again.

“Very happy with the team’s performance,” Boots said.

The key this time was a formation switch in which the Raiders used an extra defensive back to defend the Warriors’ five-receiver attack.

“The coaches did a good job putting that together,” Boots said.

The boxscore

QND 37, Peoria Woodruff 6
WOOD        QND
7    First downs    20
19-37    Rushes-yards    36-148
108    Passing yards    145
145    Total yards    293
18-31-1    Comp-Att-Int    16-20-0
6-57    Penalties-yards    4-40
1-1    Fumbles-lost    1-0
Woodruff    0    0    0    6—6
QND    14    10    13    0—37
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
Q—Daniel Weiman 1 run (Blake Doane kick), 8:00
Q—Ryan Terstriep 1 run (Doane kick), :09
Second Quarter
Q—Doane 32 FG, 9:25
Q—Weiman 15 run (Doane kick), 2:30
Third Quarter
Q—Weiman 10 run (kick blocked), 7:02
Q—Adam Niemann 9 pass from Luke Stamerjohn (Doane kick), 3:49
Fourth Quarter
PW—Deontray Dorsey 2 pass from Adam Gutierrez (kick failed), 5:57
Individual Statistics
RUSHING—Woodruff, Dorsey 4-19, Gutierrez 14-18, Cursante Jones 1-0. QND, Weiman 16-74, Kramer Barnes 2-32, Ian Hinkamper 3-27, Stamerjohn 4-22, Zak Thompson 3-6, Cody Kessler 2-4, Aaron Reiter 3-1, Terstriep 1-1, Evan Roush 1-(minus 14).
PASSING—Woodruff, Gutierrez 18-31-108-1. QND, Barnes 7-7-67-0, Stamerjohn 9-13-78-0.
RECEIVING—Woodruff, Dorsey 9-52, Aaron Price 3-36, Ty Amos 3-5, Khyree Jones 2-5, Jawaun Davis 1-10. QND, Anthony Bruns 5-50, Weiam 2-30, Mark Grawe 2-21, Brandon Ley 2-14, Stamerjohn 2-10, Doane 1-9, Niemann 1-9.

The Quincy High School football team’s return to Flinn Stadium following a three-game road swing

Courtesy Illinois Helmet Project

should bring out a large crowd. Not only is it Homecoming, but the Blue Devils are enjoying their best start to a season in 30 years and look to continue it in Western Big Six Conference play against East Moline.

Needless to say, life is good.

Here are three keys which will help the Blue Devils keep the good vibes going:

1. Don’t underestimate the opponent

East Moline is 0-4, has lost 12 consecutive WB6 games and its overall losing streak has reached 20 games. QHS coach Rick Little knows the Panthers’ streak will end sometime, he just doesn’t want it to be tonight. He’s stressed the importance of staying focused and playing at a consistent level.

2. Handle the distractions

Homecoming Week is a lot of fun. The parade. The game. The dance. The Blue Devils can’t get caught thinking about how their dates will look Saturday night or if the dance lessons will pay off. They have to concentrate on the game first, then let the fun begin.

3. Take nothing for granted

D.J. Powell guaranteed no one on this team will get cocky, but considering five victories qualifies a team for consideration for the playoffs, this team could get overly excited with a victory. Don’t expect that to happen. The coaching staff is grounded, the team leaders are grounded and the Blue Devils want more than just five victories.

The focus, at neither Quincy Notre Dame nor Peoria Woodruff, has been on Friday night’s Mid-State Six Conference football game. At QND, the chatter has been about 2010 and the matchup

Courtesy Illinois Helmet Project

with Illini West. At Woodruff, the Warriors have dealt with the decision by the Peoria School Board to shut Woodruff’s doors at the end of this school year.

So, for the folks making the trip from Peoria, this game is a break from the emotional challenges they’ve endured this week. It also gives the Warriors added incentive to knock off the state-ranked Raiders.

Here are three keys that will help the Raiders avoid an upset:

1. Match the emotion

Knowing this will be the last go-around, the Warriors may see this as a chance to leave a legacy. The Raiders certainly have that chance. This team is posting numbers that make you scratch your head, but to continue doing that, they have to match Woodruff’s emotion. QND coach Bill Connell is a great motivator and this pre-game speech should be one of his best of the year.

2. End it early

Don’t give Woodruff the chance to build momentum. Should QND win the coin toss, the Raiders need to go on offense and put an immediate score on the board. The first-team defense has been as salty as any in the MS6, and with a lead, the Raiders can get more aggressive. Putting Woodruff in a hole may zap it of its energy and emotion.

3. Force the issue

Turnovers are always key, and losing a possession is as demoralizing as anything. So QND needs to be aggressive at ball-hawking and find more ways to make the Warriors lose their edge. Hits like the ones delivered last week by Austin Waterkotte and Drew Babyak are designed to create turnovers.

Many people — media and otherwise — are calling the Illini West-Quincy Notre Dame football game scheduled for next year a “dream matchup.” Indeed, for area football fans, this is a huge showdown.

Two vaunted programs. Two highly-successful coaches. Two passionate fan bases.

What could be better?

That got me to thinking. Are there any matchups I would like to see that would be on the same scale as Illini West-QND? One came immediately to mind. After thinking about it for a little bit, there are others.

Here are the five games I’d like to see played.

Courtesy Missouri Helmet Project

1. Quincy High School vs. Hannibal

Courtesy Illinois Helmet Project

This used be one of the region’s top matchups. In fact, there was a time when it was a Thanksgiving Day tradition. Now, it can’t be played on Turkey Day anymore, but imagine the crowd at either Flinn Stadium or Porter Stadium for what could be billed as the Mississippi Mud Bowl.

2. Quincy High School vs. Quincy Notre Dame

It’s been more than two decades since the crosstown rivals last played each other. It took 36 years to get the schools to face off in boys basketball. It shouldn’t take them that long to come together on the gridiron. Which game would you rather see? QND vs. Spring Valley Hall? QHS vs. Metea Valley? Or a Gem City Classic?

3. Quincy Notre Dame vs. Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin

The two Catholic schools face each other in every other sport, so why not football? QND considers itself a tradition-rich program, with its run of playoff appearances and consistent spot in the state rankings. However, no private program south of I-80 can match the success of SHG. This would be a braggin’ rights game.

Courtesy Illinois Helmet Project

4. Pittsfield vs. Quincy Notre Dame

Courtesy Illinois Helmet Project

This was once the area’s pre-eminent rivalry on this side of the Mississippi. The games and the individual performances are legendary. Unfortunately, it’s been more than a decade since these teams last met. Conference affiliations are part of the reason this meeting hasn’t happened, but we keep hoping it will take place in the future.

5. Clark County vs. Illini West

Here’s another crossover game I think would draw a crowd. Both programs won state championships in 2008, and the Indians are proving they aren’t a one-year wonder. The Chargers certainly aren’t. There is always the argument of which side of the Mississippi River plays better football. This could tip the scales one way or the other.

Inspired by VH1’s list of music’s one-hit wonders of the ’80s, Sports Editor Don O’Brien broke down his favorite one-hit wonders from Major League Baseball in the 1980s. Cleveland Indians outfielder Joe Charboneau, the 1980 AL Rookie of the Year, topped his list.

As we discussed it in the office on Friday, I got to thinking — What are my favorite one-hit wonders? I love to listen to music when I write, and I constantly had the radio on in my home office while I worked on the book “Stand Up and Cheer.”

I lean toward hard rock — Van Halen is my favorite band and I’ve become partial to listening to Shinedown these days — but ’80s music in general will always strike a chord with me. So it should come as no surprise that my favorite one-hit wonders are from that decade.

Here’s my list:

1. “Your Love” by The Outfield

2. “In A Big Country” by Big Country

3. “Come On Eileen” by Dexy’s Midnight Runners

4. “Beds Are Burning” by Midnight Oil

5. “867-5309” by Tommy Tutone

6. “Life In A Northern Town” by The Dream Academy

7. “Don’t Forget Me” by Glass Tiger

8. “The Safety Dance” by Men Without Hats

9. “Electric Avenue” by Eddy Grant

10. “Electric Blue” by Icehouse

I left off any songs by the hair bands because they deserve their own category. So expect a future post with my top 10 songs from the ’80s hair bands.

To turn around a program, you have to make people believe you can win week in and week out. Quincy High School football coach Rick Little has done that. The Blue Devils’ 3-0 start is a great sign this program has made strides.

The biggest step, though, is the next one.

Courtesy of Illinois Helmet Project

Quincy has to prove it not only can go toe-to-toe wi the Western Big Six Conference teams, but the Blue Devils have to prove they can beat them. There’s no place for morale victories any longer.

With that in mind, here are three keys for the Blue Devils as they open Western Big Six Confernece play tonight at Moline:

1. Make them believe

Despite its 0-3 record, Moline will expect to win simply because it’s facing Quincy. That’s not a sign of disrespect. That’s a byproduct of history. The Blue Devils can change that by grabbing the lead, stymieing the Maroons’ spread offense and making Moline fret. If the Maroons think the Blue Devils are capable of winning, it just might happen.

2. Know your assignments

The last two weeks, Moline quarterback Mikel Wismer has begun to get a feel for the spread offense the Maroons are using. He’s thrown for nearly 400 yards by using all of the field and finding mismatches. The Blue Devils have to know their roles and communicate so all receivers are covered. They can’t play soft. Quincy needs to challenge Moline’s wide receivers off the line of scrimmage and force them to make tough catches.

3. Let’s get physical

One of the problems the Blue Devils have faced in WB6 play is the fact they’ve been beaten up in the trenches. That hasn’t happened yet this season. Quincy has become a physical team and shouldn’t get bullied. By playing physical and controlling the line, the Blue Devils will be able to sustain drives, control the clock and keep Moline from having many opportunities to strike quickly.

Bonus key

There’s one more thing that could sway the outcome. Turnovers. Moline has had a habit of killing its drives with mistakes — the Maroons have had nine turnovers the last two weeks. So some of the stats are misleading, specifically the high number of yards the Maroons have racked up. The Blue Devils need to force the issue defensively and try to make the Maroons make mistakes. Every turnover Quincy forces is a wasted opportunity for Moline.

Among those in the crowd Thursday night at Peoria Stadium were Peoria Woodruff coach Tim Thornton and a majority of the Warriors, who got a first-hand look at next week’s opponent.

Courtesy Illinois Helmet Project

Woodruff comes to Quincy next Friday to take on Quincy Notre Dame in what some think could be a true test for the Raiders, who improved to 4-0 with a 56-0 victory over Peoria Central in the Mid-State Six Conference opener.

In QND’s first three years in the MS6, the Raiders have engaged in some memorable games with the Warriors. In 2006, QND won 51-48 on a Patrick Smith field goal in the second overtime. In 2007, QND held on for a 36-29 victory. Last year, the Raiders again won 21-6.

So even with Woodruff running back Tyshawn Burch suspended and likely out for the remainder of the season, this promises to be one of the more exciting matchups in the Mid-State Six this season.

That’s why QND coach Bill Connell relishes the extra day to prepare.

“This is the first extra day we’ve had in six and a half weeks,” Connell said. “So enjoy the extra day, and it gives us eight days going into the Woodruff game. We’re going to use that extra day to regain our strength, regain ourselves and get our gameplan in place for next week.”

Hit of the year?

Courtesy of Illinois Helmet Project

With QND leading 28-0 late in the first quarter, Peoria Central’s Brandon Lindley tried to build a little momentum on a kickoff return by cutting against the grain and hitting a seam on the left side of the field.

Whatever hole he saw closed quickly, shut completely by QND’s Austin Waterkotte.

Waterkotte shed his blocker, squared up his shoulders and drove Lindley onto his back at the Peoria Central 27-yard line. The collision, which could be heard in the Peoria Stadium press box, was violent enough to disloge Lindley’s helmet.

Special effort

Allen Hendren’s effort on special teams didn’t go unnoticed.

Hendren, a defensive tackle, scored his first career touchdown in the second quarter when he fell on a blocked punt in the end zone. Defensive end Chip Holtschlag blocked the kick and chased it into the end zone with Hendren, who fell on top of the ball to give QND a 56-0 lead.

“It’s pretty fun to have a blocked punt,” Holtschlag said. “We’ll keep working on special teams as much as we do offense and defense.”

Hendren nearly got into the act himself in the second half. Rushing straight up the middle on a punt by Lindley, Hendren appeared to get his hand on the ball. The punt wound up going 25 yards thanks to a couple of good bounces.

The boxscore

QND 56, Peoria Central 0
QND        PC
20    First downs    7
35-214    Rushes-yards    30-40
181    Passing yards    31
395    Total yards    71
12-15-0    Comp-Att-Int    6-12-1
5-55    Penalties-yards    7-72
5-1    Fumbles-lost    4-1
QND    28    28    0    0—56
Peoria Central    0    0    0    0—0
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
Q—Anthony Bruns 10 pass from Kramer Barnes (Blake Doane kick), 10:38
Q—Daniel Weiman 4 pass from Barnes (Doane kick), 6:57
Q—Mark Grawe 2 run (Doane kick), 5:20
Q—Luke Stamerjohn 41 pass from Barnes (Doane kick), 4:03
Second Quarter
Q—Weiman 9 run (Doane kick), 11:07
Q—Weiman 19 run (Doane kick), 7:57
Q—Weiman 32 run (Doane kick), 5:07
Q—Allen Hendren recovers blocked punt in end zone (Doane kick), 2:58
Individual Statistics
RUSHING—QND, Weiman 8-88, Aaron Reiter 16-73, Barnes 2-29, Evan Roush 3-12, Cody Kessler 3-7, Luke Hinkamper 1-4, Mark Grawe 1-2, Zak Thompson 1-(minus 1). Peoria Central, Darius Robinson 5-39, Zac Barnes 9-28, Deatric Broadway 2-12, Jeremy Wright 1-4, James Donald 1-3, Adrian Osis 1-(minus 1), Julian Bailey 11-(minus 45).
PASSING—QND, Barnes 12-15-181-0. Peoria Central, Bailey 6-12-31-1.
RECEIVING—QND, Bruns 5-61, Stamerjohn 3-84, Weiman 2-2, Brandon Ley 1-19, Doane 1-15. Peoria Central, Vinh Abel 3-9, Barnes 1-9, Jordan Foley 1-7, Brandon Lindley 1-6.

The Quincy Notre Dame football team finds itself in a new, unique position as it gets set to open Mid-State Six Conference competition at 7 tonight against Peoria Central.

The Raiders have the target on their backs.

QND dethroned Peoria Richwoods last year, winning its first conference championship and making it the team to beat in the MS6 this season. To solidify that, the Raiders need to get off to a good start against Peoria Central, a team they hold a 7-1 all-time record against.

Here are three keys to opening league play with a victory”

1. Don’t get overconfident

Back-to-back shutouts and the ability to run the ball at will against any opponent should have the Raiders feeling good about themselves. Just not too good. QND can’t simply think it’s going to show up and win. The Raiders need to be prepared, and that shouldn’t be too much of a concern after listening to the post-practice speeches from the coaching staff on Tuesday.

2. Spread the field

As good as QND is at running the ball, the diversity of the offense is what will sustain success. Although the Raiders struggled in the passing game last week at Spring Valley Hall, QND cannot abandon the spread offense in favor of a more traditional approach. This is a good time to work out the kinks that cropped up last week and continue refining the offensive approach.

3. Put ’em away early

The worst thing for QND would be to stall offensively at the start and allow Peoria Central to game some confidence. If the Raiders win the coin toss, they should elect to receive and do all they can to put the Lions back on their heels. If QND can build a two- or three-touchdown lead in the first quarter, it should be able to wrap up the first MS6 victory of the season.