By Jack Hart | ILSportsWire
The Maroa-Forsyth Trojans entered the IHSA football playoffs with an 8-1 record and plenty of motivation following a Week 9 loss to rival Williamsville.
During the IHSA bye week, ILSportsWire caught up with head coach Josh Jostes and senior leaders Aiden Williams, Jerrin Taylor, and Declan Shannon to discuss the regular season, lessons learned, and the team’s postseason goals.
Despite the disappointing finish to the regular season, the Trojans believe their best football is still ahead.
Learning From Week 9
Maroa-Forsyth found success throughout the regular season, combining a productive offense with a defense that consistently kept opponents in check. However, Williamsville presented a challenge the Trojans couldn’t overcome.
Jostes credited Williamsville for its performance while acknowledging areas his team must improve before beginning its postseason run.
“Our offense didn’t execute the way we expected,” Jostes said. “Defensively, I thought we were lights out, and our special teams had a little bit of a letdown.”
Turnovers also played a significant role in the outcome. The Trojans turned the ball over four times, something Jostes emphasized must improve as the competition gets tougher.
“We warn our kids all the time that turnovers lose big games,” Jostes said.
Quarterback Aiden Williams described the loss as a reality check after a season filled with convincing victories. He believes the Trojans must correct their mental mistakes and build on the experience.
“We really just beat ourselves in that game,” Williams said. “A lot of mental errors, and I think that’s where we had a lot of mess-ups and opportunities where we could have scored or we could have got stopped.”
Taylor echoed that message, pointing to offensive execution and mental focus as priorities during the bye week. Meanwhile, Shannon stressed the importance of staying humble and not allowing one loss to define the season.
“We can’t let one loss define who we are,” Shannon said. “We just got to come up to the next game, show out who we are.”
Making the Most of the Bye Week
With a first-round bye, Maroa-Forsyth had an opportunity to recover, address mistakes, and prepare for the challenges ahead.
The coaching staff focused on managing the players’ workload while reviewing film and correcting issues from the Williamsville game.
“We were focused on us,” Jostes said. “Things we didn’t like that we did against Williamsville.”
The Trojans also used practice time to reinforce assignments, improve ball security, and continue preparing their offensive and defensive systems for the postseason.
For the players, the focus remained on staying healthy, getting mental repetitions, and keeping the team’s intensity high despite not having a game scheduled.
“We’ve just been focused on recovery,” Taylor said. “Just making sure that everybody’s good, everybody’s healthy.”
Williams added that practices remained intense as the team worked through adjustments and moved players around to prepare for its next opponent.
Ready for the Challenge Up North
Maroa-Forsyth’s postseason path presents a significant challenge, with several strong programs competing in Class 2A. The Trojans understand that advancing will require consistent execution against quality opponents.
Jostes acknowledged that the northern teams have produced strong postseason results in recent years, but he doesn’t expect his players to back down.
“We’re going to find out real quick every week if we can compete week to week,” Jostes said. “But I don’t expect our kids to back down regardless of who our opponent is.”
Williams shared a similar mindset, recognizing that a championship run requires beating the best teams in the state.
“If we want to keep winning games, we’re going to have to beat good teams,” Williams said.
For Taylor, the opportunity to face tough competition is something the Trojans are embracing. He believes staying focused and allowing the team’s leaders to set the tone will be critical to reaching their goals.
A Championship Mindset
The Trojans haven’t hidden their ambitions. After an 8-1 regular season, the goal is to make a deep playoff run and compete for a state championship.
Shannon emphasized the importance of teamwork and accountability, while Taylor pointed to the team’s captains as a key factor in keeping everyone focused.
Jostes also referenced last season’s postseason run as a reminder that a disappointing regular-season finish doesn’t have to determine what comes next.
Now, with the regular season behind them, the Trojans are turning their attention to a new challenge.
At 8-1, Maroa-Forsyth has already established itself as a strong team. The next step is translating that success into postseason victories, one game at a time.
The record resets to 0-0 in the playoffs. For the Trojans, the mission remains the same: stay humble, eliminate mistakes, and keep working toward a trip to Normal.
