The LeRoy Panthers and Tri-Valley Vikings football programs have a lot more in common than just the fact they happen to play in the Heart of Illinois conference and used to coop for football.
LeRoy Coach BJ Zeleznik and Tri-Valley coach Josh Roop were once captains for the LeRoy Panthers football teams, and now find themselves battling once a year on the gridiron. Coach Zeleznik calls the rivalry between LeRoy and Tri-Valley a friendly rivalry.
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For Coach Roop, when his team goes to LeRoy for football games, he says it is like a homecoming for him. He says there is a lot of respect between the two programs.
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Heading into the playoffs, the likeliness of a LeRoy, Tri-Valley matchup in a win or go home scenario will not happen. Tri-Valley received a bid in Class 2A and LeRoy wound up in Class 1A.
Coach Roop says his teams are usually a run first team, but this year they have been able to open things up because of their quarterback play.
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Tri-Valley ran the table this year (9-0), Coach Roop points to their season opener against Fieldcrest as the point in their season that really got his attention about how good his team could be.
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Tri-Valley defeated LeRoy in week 7, 21-0. The Heart of Illinois Conference has seven playoff teams, and according to Coach Zeleznik, the HOI offers 1A schools like there's, great prepartion for postseason play.
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Tri-Valley received the top seed in the northern bracket of Class 1A and will host Savanna West Carroll Saturday afternoon at 2 pm. The winner takes on the winner between Rushville-Industry and Taylor Ridge-Rockridge.
LeRoy will head to Greenfield to take on Greenfield-Northwestern Satruday afternoon at 1:30 pm. The winner advances to take on the winner of top-seeded Tuscola and 16th-seeded Camp Point Central.
Hear from both LeRoy Coach BJ Zeleznik and Tri-Valley Coach Josh Roop on our WHOW morning show shortly after 9:30 am this morning.
