August 29, 2002 12:44 AM
Rocks double up
HononegahBy Mark Nesseler, Dispatch/Argus Sports
editor
With decisions to make over starting positions, Rock Island's 28-14 football victory
over Rockton Hononegah Friday night at Rock Island's Almquist Field may have settled
little.
In fact, it may have created even more competition for playing time.
``We're going to go back and evaluate every play,'' said Rock Island coach Vic Boblett
after the victorious season opener. ``You never know how things will shake out. We
evaluate things you don't see from the stands. We check things like snap counts, whether
they're making the right reads ... a lot goes into it.
``Overall, though, I'd say I'm pretty pleased with the performances.''
The biggest competition comes at quarterback, where seniors Tom DeBroeck and Chase
Stephens alternated pairs of series against the Indians. Boblett said he'll do that again
next week in a home game against Chicago Westinghouse before settling on one No. 1.
``Both did some good things and both made some mistakes,'' Boblett said of his QBs.
DeBroeck hit Brandin Smith with a 45-yard touchdown pass on his team's third play. He
went to another Smith, running back Dillon Smith, for a 37-yarder in the second half to
engineer the Rocks' second scoring drive. That nine-play stretch was capped by Dillon
Smith's one-yard run.
Though Stephens struggled early with two interceptions, he turned it around in the
second half. He started the second half at the helm of an 11-play, 65-yard, 5:46 drive and
did the scoring honors from five yards out on a weakside bootleg.
While they battled for Boblett's attention, defensive back Luke DePron got it at a
position at which he didn't expect. With punter Jason Reda playing with the Rock Island
soccer team at a Rockford Auburn tournament Friday, DePron stepped in for the punting
duties and performed with incredible perfection.
Of DePron's three punts, two came down at the 1-yard line.
``Jason's coming back next week, and when you've got a guy who all he does is kick,
you've got to go with him,'' DePron said. ``And Jason kicks a longer ball than I do.''
Boblett, though, says DePron may have kicked himself into additional duties.
``I don't know, Luke's been killing the ball on punts in practice,'' the coach said.
``We'll probably turn it to open competition and whoever performs best wins.''
Reda also is the Rocks' point-after and field-goal kicker. Filling in admirably was
292-pound lineman Mike Leonard, going 4-for-4 on PATs.
``That's one position, though, that I don't think will be open,'' Boblett said of
Reda's other kicking duties. ``It's awfully tough for an offensive tackle to go downfield
on a drive and then have to change shoes for an extra point after a touchdown.
``With five starters not playing (Reda, receiver Mike Adamson with mono and three
others on suspension), I see nothing but good things. At worst, we developed critical
depth.''
Noteworthy for Rockton's scoring was that both of its TDs were followed by perfect PATS
-- booted by Julie Harshbarger.
``She's pretty accurate,'' said Rockton coach Steve Stromquist. ``She can hit 'em from
about the 15 or 20, which would be about a 37-yarder.''
RI sophs shut down: Jarred Logan and Jarad Plummer scored touchdowns for
Hononegah's sophomores, which was enough for a 14-7 victory. RI's lone score came with
4:42 left in the game on Alex Stickel's eight-yard run.
Copyright 2001, Moline Dispatch
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