Old School Coaches- Great Road Atmospheres

This Week’s Question

As coaches, your teams probably played many tough road games. What was one of the best road game atmospheres your team played in? It could be the competitive level, the crowd, the things they did to intimidate. For football coaches, you can pick a playoff game that was truly a road game at your opponent's place. For basketball coaches, it needs to be a true road game, not a tourney game at a neutral site. 

Mike Cooper- Ottawa 

The toughest place we used to play was at C.A. Hills Gymnasium at Rochelle High School. There were several reasons:

1. The visiting team only got 80 tickets which were in the top corner of the gym. You could barely see them from our bench. 

2. The floor was smaller than normal and they used to use a restraining line which was different than all other floors.

3. The student section was on the stage right behind our bench so we would occasionally get hit by items, called names and they were very loud.

4. The locker room was in a basement and it was hot.

5. The band at Rochelle was outstanding. They were loud and intimidating. 

Rochelle was a tough place for anyone to win.

Honorable Mention would be Homer Musgrove Fieldhouse at Sterling High School and the Girls gym at Rock Island High School. 

Tim Engebretsen- United

I hate to pick out one place because we played in so many great atmospheres. We were originally in the Bi-County conference and there were some great rivalry games. Then we moved to the Lincoln Trail Conference which I thought was one of the better small school football conferences. The tradition and pride in these small communities was really something to witness.Even though we played in so many great places I think the field at Annawan was my favorite. They were always such a tough opponent and a great challenge to play against. The park setting around the field kind of epitomized small school football. Fortunately, our fans traveled well so I never felt like our kids were intimidated by any specific atmosphere.

Greg King, Sterling

There is nothing better than when your rival and you are both good!  I was blessed to be a part of great rivalries at two schools.  The Rock Island-Moline Rivalry was intense!  It seems when both teams were good everybody was there.  Games would draw 7-8 thousand people.  

The big one for me was the Sterling-Geneseo rivalry.  When I first got to Sterling, Geneseo had one 7-8 straight in the series.  My 1st 3 years we lost in fairly close games.  In my 4th year we broke through.  We had knocked off #1 Metamora in game one of the year.  We come onto the Geneseo game 5-0 as were they.  They were now rated #1.  The crowd was electric.  We actually brought bleachers from Sterling to Geneseo to accommodate some of the crowd.  It reminded me growing up an Amboy-Newman game late 70’s  when it would be 3-4 deep along the track.  We ended up winning 28-7 to make the rivalry a rivalry again.  You know you have made it that when the next time you are there, younger kids from there are watching you warm up and calling you all kinds of names.  It actually brought a smile to my face.  

Greg Bennett- Lewistown

Basketball = The toughest atmosphere that I can recall for girls basketball was at Camp Point Central. Coach Matt Long always provides a unique level of “hospitality” for his guests. 1) Even though they have a spacious modern gym, he chooses to play all of his girls contests in the “friendly confines” of their OLD gym. It is cramped, to the degree that the fans in the front row are in the area of play, and the crowd is always at near capacity. 2) They have a large organized cheering section and nearly always have the band present. 3) To add to the oppressiveness of the atmosphere, Coach Long always cranks up the gymnasium’s heaters to their highest possible setting. The “worst/best” night I can recall in that gym took place in 2016, when NBC Nightly News was in town filming a feature on Jessi Baucom, a long time Camp Point Assistant Coach afflicted with Down syndrome. The whole evening was complete and utter chaos. (We lost a tough game to an excellent and fired up Lady Panther team that night,  partially due to their tremendous home court atmosphere.

Football = During their “glory days,” Aledo High School was always known for  the intense/intimidating atmosphere of their stadium. This was definitely the case when we opened up the playoffs at Aledo in 2003. The Green Dragons, under Coach Cully Welter, were the  “back to back” defending state champions at the time, and their entire community was on hand to “welcome us.” 1) The signs along the highway started at least 15 miles from town.  2) Groups of people along the roadside screamed various “greetings” at our bus as we pulled into town. 3) As we walked down the hillside from the locker room to the field, both sides of our pathway were lined with the Aledo faithful “wishing us well.” 4) Our entry corridor to the field gave us a terrific view of a very large sign, with an intimidating list of great Aledo  teams of the past.  5) The home fans were extremely involved and kept their high intensity for the entire game. Their favorite battle cry still echoes in my mind: “Hit em  High, Hit em Low, Go Aledo Go!”  (We happened to upset them on that day, 43 to 32, in a very physical back and forth game = toughest road win we ever had.

Evan Massey- Galesburg

In 1993, we went to Carthage to play the Blue Girls. We were undefeated and #7 in AA, while Carthage was undefeated, defending State Champs, and ranked #1 in A. I would guess the gym had a capacity of 1000 people. That day there were probably about 1300 people there. They left room for about 50 Galesburg fans.

They had a band and an electric guitar on the stage. It was so loud, you could not hear anything. The lockeroom was 100 degrees. 

We were good but not deep. Our point guard picked up three fouls early in the first quarter. At that point, I took 3 time outs to try to get the ball up to half-court vs their press. We lost by 12. The second the horn went off, the band/electric guitar struck up “Another One Bites the Dust.” 

Carthage went onto to win another State title and lost only one game all year. It was a tough loss but it was such a great experience. It was good for our team to play in that environment, and see the pride a small town can have for their teams. It was as close to a “Hoosiers” experience as one could have. 

Bob Anderson- Williamsfield

A place where we played alot of games thru the years and always had a good atmosphere was at Elmwood. It is a unique gym with seats only on one side, so it is different than most gyms. Although not the ideal place to play, they do have it fixed up about as well you can have for a gym of that nature. The 2 communities are only 12 or so miles apart so alot of people know each other and the players do too. It always seems like it's a good game no matter who was supposed to be good or bad. They were always well coached and played hard, so you knew if you didn't bring it, it could be a long nite

Thom Sigel- Rock Island

   As I thought about road environments, I found that I was recalling more conference schools than any particular non-conference games we may have played over the years.  When I think of fun atmospheres to play in, it is hard to pass up Sterling and Moline.  These are both fieldhouse venues with wide open feels.  I have watched other games at both of them that had less exciting environments with smaller crowds.  However, when I was at Rock Falls and Rock Island, Sterling and Moline were the huge rivalry games.  The crowds and electricity in those games definitely made them memorable.

   Other places to play in the NCIC and Western Big 6 were Ottawa, UT, Galesburg, and Alleman.  Ottawa has the historical feel and tradition.  The band and fans on top of the court add to a great atmosphere.  I am fortunate to have coached in some good games in The Panther Den at UT.  I realize we weren't supposed to choose neutral courts, but winning two Super Sectionals there didn't hurt.  But even in the regular season games, the juices get flowing when they shut the lights off around the court.  Galesburg has always seemed to be loud with the crowd close to the court, and the traditions they have with the pregame add to a special game night experience.  Finally, I didn't coach in Don Morris Gym at Alleman many times when I coached at Rock Island, but we had some great games in a packed gym when Rock Falls came to Alleman back in the late 90's.

  As far as toughest places to play, I think Rochelle and Quincy come to mind.  Rochelle's old gym was so unique with a setup like a theater.  It had seats across from the bench with a stage behind the bench.  They only allowed the visiting team around 90 tickets, way up in the top corner.  It was so tight around the court, they had to use the old restraining lines for a long time.  We also had some issues with the students on the stage behind us in 1999, so we moved our huddles to the corner away from the stage when we played there in 2001.

   Most people are familiar with the pregame ceremony at Quincy, even if they haven't experienced it in person.  I think two other factors that made it tough to win in Quincy was that they usually had good teams, and also the trip down there was out of the normal routine from the other Friday night games.  But the pregame, the large crowds, the noise meter, and the loud band could all have a tendency to have an effect on high school players.  There were a number of times it seemed like Quincy was able to muster some momentum from the home atmosphere and make a run at crucial points in a game.

Mike Tracey- Alleman, UTHS

I was very fortunate during my football coaching career to experience great venues and crowds. The walk-through the visitors tunnel at Rock Island Stadium, the long walk from Wharton Field House to Browning Field in Moline, and the raucous environment at Geneseo High School are all big parts of my football memory .

At Alleman, we did not have our own football facility. We were blessed to have great neighbors at Rock Island High School, Moline High School, and United Township High School in East Moline. These schools were gracious enough to allow us to rent their facilities for our home games. We ended up with great home football  facilities.

One strong memory sticks out above the rest for a visiting game environment. The game was at Washington High School. It was in 1986 and Washington had just previously won a state championship. We played them on a Saturday after a Wednesday night overtime victory against Geneseo in the first round of the playoffs.

We had a very long walk from the school to the field for our warm up. We went back to our locker room and had our pregame preparation. After our pregame messages, we went out the door and started walking towards the field . From a great distance, we heard a loud roar that just kept growing and growing. As we got closer to the field, we realized it was our visiting crowd standing and cheering us all the way as we headed toward the field. It was a tremendous experience that I still remember. Many of our players remembered it as well. 

The best home memory was at Rock Island Stadium in the same 1986 playoffs. We hosted undefeated and overwhelming favorite Belleville Althoff in the semifinals. It was sunny and warm on the weekend before Thanksgiving. We played a tremendous team and defeated them to head to the state championship the following weekend. We had a crowd of over 9000 people. It was an outstanding high school environment that I will never forget.

Jeff Parsons- Wethersfield, Fulton

The best atmosphere most competitive road game we have been in was in 2014 at Brimfield vs Brimfield in the 1A Sectional. Brimfield was 29-1 and the Geese were 29-2. Brimfield was state ranked #2 and we were #3. Had 2 All-Staters on the floor. Carson Cuevas for Brimfield and Trevor Lay for Wethersfield. The Geese pulled out the victory.  Both crowds were the biggest and loudest I've ever seen. Communicating with the players on the floor was very difficult. 

Mark Massey- Clinton

Best atmosphere…the former Mater Dei Field House…used to play there nearly every year. They didn’t have a big student body, but nearly all of their students would show up as with many of ours, a lot of parents and adult adults, there were always good crowds. Our kids played on that cord a lot both volleyball and basketball so it wasn’t really a disadvantage. Kind of a fun ‘road trip’ as it was only about three blocks away from Clinton high school. In the early and mid 80s, we both always had good teams, in the early 80s. I think they had three consecutive small school state championships. Kids on both sides knew each other, went to church together, were neighbors, everybody competed pretty hard. 

Bob Anderson- Williamsfield HS

Bob is retired as boys basketball coach at Williamsfield. At a school of only 89 students, in 45 years, his teams won 732 games along with numerous tourney and conference championships. His 1997 team made it to the Elite 8. 

Mike Cooper- Ottawa HS

Mike is the retired Athletic Director at Ottawa HS. He was varsity girls basketball coach for 22 years, as well as sophomore football coach for many years. He was inducted in the the IBCA HOF.

Tim Engebretson- United HS

He was varsity head football coach for many years at United HS. He also has coached basketball at different levels. His 2005 team won the Illinois State Title, and Tim is in the Illinois Football Coaches' HOF as well as the United HOF.

Greg King- Sterling HS

In his head coaching career at Sterling, his football teams went 78-28, and had 10 straight play-off appearances and 5 conference titles. In addition to his success as a football coach, he was inducted in the Illinois Athletic Director's Association HOF. 

Mark Massey- Clinton HS

Mark was the head volleyball coach at Clinton for 38 years. His teams won 818 games, and twice took second in State. He is in the Iowa Volleyball HOF and Clinton HS HOF.

Thom Sigel- Rock Falls/Rock Island HS

Thom coached basketball for 32 years. His teams won 502 games, and he has the distinction of winning the State Title at both Rock Falls and Rock Island. Thom is in the IBCA HOF.

Mike Tracey- Alleman, UTHS, Moline HS

Mike coached football at Alleman, UT, and Moline for over 20 years. He is considered the premier football coach in WB6 history. His teams won 140 games, and twice finished second in State. Mike is in the Alleman HS HOF and the Illinois Football HOF. He was also selected Illinois AD of the Year. 

Greg Bennett- Lewistown

Greg coached many sports at Lewistown. He had teams go to State in girls basketball and football. He is in the Illinois Football HOF as well as being in the Illinois Basketball Hall of Fame. He is know for his commitment as a coach and his high energy level. 

Jeff Parsons- Wethersfeild, Fulton

Jeff was a highly successful baseball and basketball coach at Kewanee Wethersfield. He was inducted into the IBCA HOF. Presently he is the Athletic Director at Fulton.