East St. Louis moves up in USA Today Super 25 high school football rankings
The East St. Louis Flyers’ ninth IHSA state football championship has been in the books for over a week, but the national attention keeps coming for the City of Champions’ latest winner.
The Flyers have moved up to 17th in the latest USA Today Super 25 High School Football Rankings, which were released this week.
East St. Louis finished off a perfect 14-0 season on Nov., 30 when it defeated Crystal Lake Prairie Ridge 43-21 in the Class 6A state championship game at Northern Illinois University in DeKalb. The title was the third for East St. Louis since 2008 under coach Darren Sunkett.
East St. Louis Superintendent Arthur R. Culver said East St. Louis has high expectations, and Flyers student-athletes continue to meet those expectations
“We have high expectations in East St. Louis, the City of Champions,’’ Culver said. “We expect excellence and greatness in academic achievement, character development and athletics. I truly believe our students were born to win, engineered for success and endowed with the seeds of greatness.”
East St. Louis won its first six titles under coach Bob Shannon.
East St. Louis is also ranked first in the USA Today Midwest Regional Rankings. The Midwest region includes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Ohio, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
East St. Louis became the first IHSA member school to win state championships in boys track, girls track, boys basketball and football in the same calendar year.
“Our outstanding Flyer athletes and coaches felt the pressure to deliver a state title not only because they were capable of doing so, but to equal the performance delivered by the boys basketball team, the girls track & field team and the boys track & field team, who earned state championship titles in the spring,’’ Culver said. “ Flyers football planned to win, prepared to win and expected to win. They finished something that has never been done before - secured the fourth state championship title in the same calendar year. We are proud of our outstanding student athletes and coaches.”
This story was originally published December 10, 2019 at 1:37 PM.
