The 2024 Golden Warrior football season was a special one. Multiple were records broken, many underclassmen playing varsity, special awards, and amazing plays. The Golden Warriors were led by senior captains Braden Birdsley, Jimmy Wadsworth, Kaedon Phillips, and Drew Nettleton.
The season started on August 30, 2024, when the Metamora Redbirds traveled to town. The Golden Warriors lost 28-9, Phillips had the lone touchdown rush. After the loss to Metamora, Niles Notre Dame came to Sterling for a week two non-conference matchup. The Golden Warriors lost again, starting the season 0-2 just like the year before. With a tough start to the season, the Golden Warriors were looking to get things going.
In week three, United Township made the trip to Sterling for the first conference match-up of the year. It was a very important game as the team wanted to keep their playoff hopes alive. Sterling beat UT 27-26. Phillips scored two punt return touchdowns. On the PAT with 2:29 left in the fourth, the Warriors defense blocked the kick.
This was also the game in which Coach Schlemmer broke the all-time wins record for football. Phillips also won Chicago Bears player of the week for his two punt return touchdowns.
In week four, the Golden Warriors went on the road for the first time of the year to play Galesburg. The boys won the game 40-3. The Golden Warriors caused a safety on the first play of the game. Nettleton threw for a game record five touchdown passes and four different receivers caught a touchdown.
In week five, the Golden Warriors traveled out of state for the first time in Coach Schlemmer’s career. The Warriors traveled to Beloit, Wisconsin to play Turner High School, where they had their first shutout of the season beating Turner 32-0. The defense played amazing holding Turner to 128 total yards. The Warriors were 3-2 and had high hopes to make the playoffs after the 0-2 start to the season.
In week six, Geneseo headed to Sterling. Sterling was looking to win their fourth game in a row. The defense had another outstanding game against a tough offense to defend. The Warriors won the game 13-6 and improved to 4-2 and a four game winning streak. In week seven, Sterling faced their toughest opponent of the season. The Golden Warriors lost to end their four-game win streak. Gebhardt tied the record for the most field goals in a season.
In week eight, Rock Island traveled to town. The Golden Warriors remembered what happened the year before and didn’t hold back scoring their most points of the season in a 47-14 win. Cassens had a 17-yard pick six to help put the Golden Warriors at 5-3 and most likely in the playoffs. Senior Jimmy Wadsworth said, “it felt good to get to five wins and get into the playoffs.”
In week nine, the Golden Warriors traveled to Moline facing a 6-2 Moline team, where they lost 45-31 but Gebhardt broke the all-time field goal record with 18 field goals made. The Golden Warriors finished the regular season 5-4 and were headed to the playoffs again.
They were to play a familiar team, the St. Francis Spartans, for the fourth time in three years. St. Francis had ended the Golden Warriors season the previous year in the second round of the playoffs. The boys would travel to Wheaton on a Friday night for the first round of the playoffs, where the Warriors would break many receiving and passing records in this game. Phillips broke most receiving yards in a season, most receptions in a season, most receiving yards in a career, and tied most receiving touchdowns in a career. Nettleton broke most passing yards in a season and most passing yards in a career.
The Warriors had lost to the Spartans 42-18 to end their season. Senior Kaedon Phillips said, “it was good, we were able to communicate with the younger guys and we were able to finish at .500.”
The Golden Warriors had an exciting season with many records broken, going on a four game win streak to get back in the playoff race, and Kaedon Phillips winning Chicago Bears player of the week in week three. It may not have ended how they wanted it to but this team accomplished many achievements.
