Macomb @ Monmouth-Roseville (Soccer)
9/14/10
For some reason, Tuesday has been my big coverage day, when I get out in the field. This isn't exactly the best day to be doing it since it is also the time of my updating the upcoming online broadcast schedule (now online at http://www.ihssn.net/2010/week-four-football-games) and compiling the latest coaches polls (online at http://www.ihssn.net/2010-football/preseason).
Speaking of the broadcast schedule, please bare with me on some things on the new website. I am using an entirely different platform, so I am learning on the go with some things. Plus....I'm a sports guy, and no very little about computer stuff and websites....but I am learning feverishly. Also, a public apology to Donnie Laur (www.illinoispigskin.com), who redesigned the site. Let's just say our relationship over the past six weeks has resembled the annoying kid in class who asks a question about every little detail. Fortunately, Donnie has been calm with me throughout the whole process!
My biggest pet peeve (besides littering, obnoxious & loud people, and toilet paper going under instead of over) is not knowing how to do something. I am sort of obsessive compulsive when it comes to things and I will sit and dwell until it's been figured out. The reason I bring this up is the week four broadcast schedule is not lined up correctly. It's due to the images, which are not all to scale. I have found smaller images for some. I have been racking my brain on why this particular week, the dimensions are off. I digress.
Like I said earlier, my week is pretty preoccupied with the length of time it takes to compile the broadcast schedule, along with the time in the coaches polls on Tuesday nights. IHSSN is still working some things out for some potential volleyball broadcasts this fall. Whether they are audio and/or video, is currently up in the air at the current time. Hopefully within 10 days to two weeks we will hit the broadcast trail.
Anyway, back to soccer. Macomb visited Monmouth-Roseville for this Tuesday afternoon affair. There are always great matchups between these bordering school districts. The match was played at Eugene Tinker Field in Roseville, about the halfway point between Monmouth and Macomb.
As I pulled off of Route 67 to enter Roseville, I noticed it was just 4:05. I would have about 20 minutes to burn before the start of the game. Reaching the former Roseville High School (current Junior High), there weren't too many cars in the parking lot. Worse yet, no Macomb school bus. Uh, oh!
Before I headed to the field, I had to make a call to Bushnell-Prairie City to confirm my broadcasting duties for their Homecoming Powder Puff football game next Thursday. This will be their fourth edition of the event, and I have announced each year. This year's senior class has never lost a Powder Puff game in their career!
I walked up to the field and jotted some pregame notes for the Titans/Bombers game. I figured they wouldn't drive from Monmouth to Roseville to practice, so there must be a game. Then I thought...maybe it's a 5:00 start, instead of 4:30 (my schedule had 4:30). Titans coach Aaron Sikorski walked over and talked for a minute. He said the match was a 5:30 start. Samsonite....I was WAAAAAY off! (note: Dumb and Dumber reference). I said I would be back later, that was much too long to wait, and my drive home was just 20 minutes. Of course, I would be spending 40 minutes on the road, and the wait would be an hour and 15 minutes. I can't sit still, I drove back to Macomb.
In the meantime, I decided to do something that I have ignored for some time....run. Over the past couple weeks, I have had those end of summer blues. It hits me every September. I get a hankering to deep fry food, gain weight, and bum around because summer is over. This year....I take exception! The run was great, and it may have been the hardest 2 miles I've ever ran. Despite the 1-2 month layoff, I ran my typical course around the same time, possibly two minutes faster....I lost my last timing. Afterwards, I felt amazing. This will be added to my routine. The downside, I woke up the next morning with mild shin splints. The last time I got shin splints, I couldn't run for two weeks, they hurt pretty bad. These weren't so bad, just a nuisance.
On the road (back) to Roseville, I arrived midway through the first half. The Titans had already jumped out to a 2-0 lead (goals by Diego Suarez and Jairo Ojeda). Marty Touchette, Sports Editor of the Monmouth Review-Atlas was near the concession stand, and we waxed poetic on football, not the futbol in front of us. The big topic was the season-ending injury to Alex Tanney, quarterback for the preseason nationally ranked Monmouth College Fighting Scots. Tanney was also just 3,000 yards shy of the all-time Division-III passing record, and was last year's Melberger Award winner (D-3 equivalent to the Heisman). When coach Steve Bell said it was most likely a season ending injury, my heart fell into my stomach. Marty and I also discussed area football and how we felt some of the area teams would finish, including Monmouth-Roseville, United, and West Central.
In my time chatting away, Macomb's MacLean Johnson scored a goal to pull the Bombers within a goal. MacLean's dad, Eric, walked past. He is the head men's soccer coach at Western Illinois University. I also just talked with him last week, as I was dining at the Sports Corner in Macomb.
At halftime, it was still a 2-1 game, despite some miscommunication on a penalty kick, late in the first half. Macomb took a shot at goal on the penalty kick, as Monmouth-Roseville goalie Bernardo Marquez stood watching. The goal would not count, as the referees were not ready. Macomb coach Jeff Moore pleaded for an explanation, after a minute did get the officials call on why the goal was not counted.
Midway through the second half, Chino Ayala scored another goal for Monmouth-Roseville, giving the hosts the 3-1 advantage. MacLean Johnson would pull the visitors within a goal again. With time winding down, Macomb fired a shot at goal that was deflected off of goalie Bernardo Marquez with time expiring, preserving a Monmouth-Roseville victory (3-2).
Videos from the match can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=7C44D6D8D4A10A44
After the game, Dave Giles came down to chat. He keeps score for the Titans, and does all of the scorekeeping during basketball season (I won't lie....my passion in sports comes between November and March!). Due to my Galesburg play-by-play coverage, I won't be covering all of the Monmouth-Roseville games as I have in the past two seasons. That got me thinking about the "home" teams I have covered since I took over play-by-play duties. Here's a year-by-year compilation...
2002-03
1500 WGEN: Geneseo girl's and boy's basketball
102.5 WHHK: Games of the Week (Galva, Cambridge, Alwood, ROWVA, Stark County)
2003-04
104.7 WLMD: Bushnell-Prairie City Spartans
2004-05
104.7 WLMD: Bushnell-Prairie City Spartans
2005-06
100.1 WKAI: Macomb Bombers
2006-07
100.1 WKAI: Macomb Bombers
2007-08
100.1 WKAI: Macomb Bombers
2008-09
97.7 WMOI: Monmouth-Roseville Titans
2009-10
97.7 WMOI: Monmouth-Roseville Titans
1590 WAIK: Galesburg Silver Streaks girl's basketball
www.ihssn.net: Various Games
It seems like just last year I was broadcasting my first season of high school basketball. In that same thought, it feels like it's been twice as long. Some people ask how I keep the radio stations in order. Honestly...that's tougher than memorizing the names of 15-team rosters sometimes. During the 2008-09 season, at the WIU Holiday Tournament, here are the teams I covered, with the radio station (I did play-by-play on 21 of the 26 games in the tournament).
www.holidaybasketball.com: Games not carried on radio
100.1 WKAI: Macomb Bombers
104.7 WLMD: Bushnell-Prairie City Spartans
92.5 WKXQ: Brown County Hornets
97.7 WMOI: Monmouth-Roseville Titans
1330 WRAM: Abingdon Commandoes
1590 WAIK: Knoxville Blue Bullets
107.9 WCDD: Farmington Farmers
1560 WBYS: Lewistown Indians
Of course, I lead into basketball.....
I have slowly crept into basketball preparation. Last year, in the Quest for the Century Club, I randomly picked games with no rhyme or reason. In fact, one of my biggest listening audiences came in a game that I did not decide on broadcasting until the day before (Class 4A girl's sectional championship between Moline and Edwardsville at Normal West).
This year, there has been a little more planning involved, at least for the first couple weeks of the season. The current plans have a schedule as follows for girl's basketball...
Monday: Macomb Lady Bomber Classic
Tuesday: Illini West at Galesburg
Wednesday: Ridgewood Pre-Thanksgiving Tournament
Thursday: TBA
Friday: Galesburg Tournament
Saturday: Galesburg Tournament
Other plans have a three-day stint in the deep south of Illinois. This initial plan could occur in January, when various tournaments take the floor. Stay Tuned...
With that being said, the continuation of the old blog will be reactivated shortly. The new blog will be entitled; The Quest 2: 150. Broadcasting 100 games was easy, but 150 will be a chore. Fortunately last year, I only missed two games due to a lost voice. Orange Juice will be consumed heavily this winter!!!
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