![]() ![]() “I just see the responsibility because I think West Coast football is always going to go as USC goes.” “Every job is good and is important, but this job is just so … I don’t know if there’s another job that’s as important to its region and its part of the country and moves the needle quite like this one,” he said. When I spoke to him later, I was interested to find out exactly what he meant by “important.” ![]() ![]() It was interesting how willing Riley was to romance about the deeper meaning of his life as a Trojan and how special his new home is during USC’s swan song appearance at Pac-12 football media day. You could feel eyes rolling from Norman to Eugene. Like I said, not only do we get a chance to do it, but we get a chance to do it at one of the most important programs in our sport.” “To get a chance to be a part of that, embrace that, it reinvigorates you. “There’s no story in life or sports better than a comeback and a rise,” he said. Later, again unprompted, he came back to that theme. Lincoln Riley, on the importance of USC football It would be the best thing for the league and the school in the long run.“I just see the responsibility because I think West Coast football is always going to go as USC goes.” No coach or administrator within the league wants to see Alleman get steamrolled game after game, but that’s what is happening.Īs sad as it would be to see a breakup of the original six WB6 members, it needs to happen.Īlleman needs to find a new conference home, and if it balks, the WB6 needs to vote the Pioneers out. Right now, it’s anything but fair and equitable for the Pioneers. The Alleman student-athletes deserve the opportunity to compete on a level playing field, as do the other student-athletes within the WB6. It’s a disparity that won’t be fixed overnight. Alleman’s enrollment is listed as 421 on the IHSA website, but according to a November report from WQAD, the ABC affiliate in the Quad Cities, Alleman’s enrollment dropped to 292 at the beginning of this school year. The current enrollment range for the other seven schools goes from Geneseo at 849 to Moline at 2,083, according to the enrollment figures the Illinois High School Association uses for classifications. The Pioneers are clearly in over their heads playing in a big-school conference. So does the league’s concern with football scheduling. The most prudent way to do that is to cut all ties.Īlleman is one of the conference’s six original members, but history and tradition have to be put on the backburner in this discussion. The rest of the WB6 - as well as the Alleman administration - needs to address this issue now. If the Pioneers do come back next spring, how competitive will they be? We were shocked that it happened, but it happened so now we plan on getting it back.” “We’ll be back to full strength next year, but it’s going to take some work and dedication from the kids, coaches and parents to make that happen. “We’ve been saying that this is just a one-year glitch,” Tracey told the Dispatch/Argus. Tracey said Alleman plans to field a team in 2023. We’ve also lost players that have decided to play for travel teams instead of choosing to play for the high school. We lost kids in the exodus of students from Alleman and some of those were softball players. “We just didn’t have enough girls sign up,” Alleman interim athletic director Mike Tracey told the Dispatch/Argus. The most recent state championship came in 2014. This is a program with six state championships and nine state trophies to its credit since the 1984-85 school year. Other sports have struggled, and now softball cannot field a team. The boys basketball team allowed 100 or more points twice in WB6 play. The football program went 0-9, was shut out seven times and allowed 54.3 points per game. And competitively, Alleman is lagging far behind. The principal and athletic director both resigned during the winter. That’s the state of Alleman athletics these days.Īcross the board, the Pioneers struggle to compete within the conference. ![]() It’s a disheartening realization that a championship program no longer has enough student-athletes to field a team. Dwindling numbers saw less than nine players attend the first practice, according to the Moline Dispatch/Rock Island Argus, and the decision was made to forgo the season. Last week, the Pioneers informed the remainder of the WB6 they would not be fielding a girls softball team this spring. The Rock Island Alleman athletic department may finally have hit rock bottom, and it’s time for the Western Big 6 Conference to address it. ![]()
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