Members of the Prairie Central football team are looking forward to getting back in action.
Plans changed this week when Rantoul announced Wednesday it was canceling its game against the Hawks for COVID reasons. Then, Prairie Central was left scrambling to find an opponent for this weekend. As of Friday morning, that still has not happened.
“The kids are just ready to play,” PC head coach Andrew Quain said on the Fairbury Newsmakers show Thursday evening.
Quain is definitely open to different options – whether it means playing a game at home or away this weekend.
“We are without a varsity game Friday and a JV game Monday,” Quain noted. “We are ready to play if somebody gives us a call.”
PC would be happy to host a team if a game is added since a freshman game was held Thursday night with the football field lined and ready to go.
Players have been out practicing in the elements this week to get adjusted to the ever changing spring weather in Illinois. With the cold and windy conditions, it was sometimes hard for the kids to hear instructions outside.
“The baseball coaches are laughing at us because they deal with this every year,” Quain said.
The scheduled home opener for PC is next Friday, March 26 against Monticello. Revised guidelines from the state allow 20 percent capacity at the games and this gets a tad complicated with a high school stadium since there is so much standing room. For home games, the Hawks are looking at 500 fans and 115 visiting fans. Also, the band, cheerleaders and a decent representation of the student body will be there.
According to Quain, Monticello is a well-coached team and a great program. Monticello was a state champion back in 2018 so the matchup next week with PC should be a great one.
We plan to bring you all of this season’s Prairie Central football action on Fairbury News.
In case you missed it, watch Thursday evening's Fairbury Newsmakers program (below) which was hosted at Emancipation Brewing Company near Fairbury.
