Rashad Rochelle and Hank Beatty, Rutgers and Illinois commits, respectively, are considered by many Central State 8 fans to be the best players in the league.
Rochelle quarterbacks the Senators of Springfield High. Beatty quarterbacks Rochester.
Both are equally electric.
Rochelle passed for 1,069 yards, 11 TDs and six interceptions. The All-CS8 pick also led the Senators with 591 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns.
Beatty was named Class 4A all-state by the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association as a triple threat. He threw for 738 yards and 12 touchdowns with no interceptions at quarterback. He also caught 30 passes for 389 yards and six touchdowns and ran for 502 yards.
Eisenhower hosts Rochester Sept. 17 at Alexander Field. MacArthur plays both on the road.
Williamsville Remains Undefeated
The Bullets haven’t lost a game since the end of the 2018 season against Carlinville in the playoffs. Williamsville has since gone 20-0 with a pair of undefeated seasons in 2019 and spring 2021, including a Class 3A state title. Williamsville will have to replace a large senior class from last season.
And the Bullets have a tough schedule ahead with road games against Athens (Week 2), Auburn (Week 4) and North Mac (Week 6). That doesn’t include the home game against Maroa-Forsyth in Week 5.
North Mac’s
Last Run
The Panthers will join the South Central Conference in 2022 and will be replaced by Stanford Olympia. North Mac nearly pulled off a big upset against then-No. 1 and defending 3A champion Williamsville during the spring season but will have key players to replace, including dual-threat quarterback Kannon Kirk.
I will have more on these individuals and teams in future print editions of the Decatur Tribune as we cover the Apollo (Mount Zion), Central Illinois (Central A&M, Decatur St. Teresa, Macon Meridian and Warrensburg-Latham), Central State 8, (Decatur Eisenhower and MacArthur), Lincoln Prairie (Argenta-Oreana, Cerro Gordo/Bement and Sangamon Valley), Sangamo (Maroa-Forsyth) conferences and Illinois 8-man football (LSA) like no other.
