From the football field and the golf course links, to the soccer pitch and the volleyball court, it proved to be a busy, yet successful season for all of our fall scholar-athletes at Rock Island High School! Here's a recap of what was accomplished:
Boys & Girls Cross Country
A successful year for the RIHS Boys Cross Country team, as they saw several team and individual accomplishments in 2024. The team won the Moline Invitational and placed 3rd at the WB6 Conference Meet.
Elliot Batz and Gabe Mahn earned 1st Team All-WB6 honors. Nolan Jared and Lucas McCall received 2nd Team honors. Mahn and Batz also qualified for state competition.
Meanwhile, a young team with what looks to be a very strong future took to the track for the RIHS Girls Cross Country unit. The team won overall at the Geneseo Invite, with the sophomore girls taking 1st in Geneseo. Izabel Vega earned 2nd Team All-WB6 honors.
Football
The 2024 Rock Island Rocks Football team finished with an overall record of 1-8 (1-5 WB6), there was a lot of celebration surrounding the team this year. The team celebrated its 125th year of existence with several guest appearances from famous RIHS Football alumni, including former Head Coach Vic Boblett, Rocks-turned-NFL running back Booker Edgerson, standout Terry Brooks and more. History was also made on the field, as kicker Olivia Samuelson became the first female to score points for the Rocks in program history.
Other notables:
2nd team All-WB6 Defense: Isaiss Duarte
Honorable mention: All-WB6 Offense: Even Ellis, Kevin Mayares Jr.
Honorable mention: All-WB6 Defense: Santana Smith, Avian Thomas, Adrian Venegas
Boys Golf
The RIHS Boys Golf team made significant strides over the course of 2024 as well. The team qualified for sectionals for the first time in 15 years. All-WB6 golfer Chase Hadley achieved the oftentimes elusive 'Hole in One' shot. Carson Banks and Ayden Braud also secured 2nd team All-WB6 honors.
Girls Golf
Coaches describe the 2024 RIHS Girls Golf season as a mixed bag, but one that also showed some movement forward for the program. "Our veteran golfers played well and our newcomers made great growth," says head coach Julie Hudnall. "We finished higher at the WB6 meet as a team, and had 2 qualify for sectionals."
Those two players were Jozie Kerr and Mallory Hudnall. Kerr also achieved 2nd team All-WB6 honors.
Also of note: a junior high golf program was created, fostering scholars' love of the sport and improving their skills at an earlier and more critical time than what was done before.
Boys Soccer
It was a special season for the RIHS Boys Soccer team. The club finished with a 9-7 overall record, and a 5-3 Western Big Six (WB6) conference record. Among many memorable and significant historical moments seen during this season, the team became the first in RIHS Soccer history to beat Quincy on the road, defeated Bradley-Bourbonnais in a thrilling penalty kick shootout in the Regional Semifinals, scored in the first 20 seconds of the game against Sterling and Lawson Zulu scored the game-winning goal with 1:09 left in the team's Senior Night matchup.
Other notables:
1st Team All WB6: Ben Goeh (All-Sectional), Ler Bwe
2nd Team All WB6: Lawson Zulu (All-Sectional Honorable Mention)
Honorable Mention All WB6: Jesus Sosa, Ezekiel Mugisha, Ramadhan Sango
Girls Swimming
It was a strong season in the pool for RIHS Girls Swimming. The team won the UTHS Sprint Invite and made a lot of noise once it came time for state tournament play. Gracelynn Veys broke 1:00 in the 100m Freestyle, placing 3rd at the conference meet. 200m Free Relay won 3rd at that same WB6 Meet. In Sectional round play, Veys finished 6th in a very competitive 100m Free event.
Girls Tennis
It was all about building climate and culture for the Girls Tennis squad, led by first year head coach Maggi Voss. "I believe we had a lot of growth as a team," said Coach Voss. "We built a climate and culture that everyone, no matter playing ability, has something to bring to the team."
Volleyball
RIHS Volleyball finished with a 7-7 conference record. Junior Aj Stewart reached a major milestone, earning her 500th varsity assist and earning First Team All-Conference in the WB6. Ellie McCoy and A'rion Lonergan were recognized with WB6 Honorable Mention awards.
In addition to the hard fought battles on the court, the team hosted a Teacher Appreciation Night and Dig Pink Night. During Dig Pink night, the team honored Assistant Coach Lauren Moe's mother, who passed away in November 2023 after a long battle with breast cancer. The team sold shirts and got together after practice to bake desserts to sell at the game. They raised more than $700, which was donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. The foundation matched the team's donation times three.
"The girls worked incredibly hard both on and off the court," said head varsity coach Alax Battin. “Despite our record, you would have thought we had a winning season based on the energy and effort these girls put in every single day. They never gave up.”
A special thank you to those who helped our Junior High programs throughout the season, as well as all of our coaches and volunteers who help make our scholar-athlete experience as fulfilling and impactful as possible.