Belleville East, Belleville West faced non-conference challengers ahead of league opener
The nearly 4 1/2 hour trip north was well worth the bus ride for Belleville East’s football team.
The Lancers left early Friday morning, made the long trek to Aurora to face Metea Valley and came away with a decisive 52-18 victory. East improved to 2-1 ahead of its Southwestern Conference opener against East St. Louis at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 17.
Needless to say, the team’s performance thrilled coach Michael Harrison.
“It was a pretty complete performance,” he said. “I thought both sides of the ball played well. Quite honestly, we didn’t do anything special. A lot of guys just executed their jobs. We were just able to do the things we practice and work on well. We ran the same stuff we run but just blocked and tackled a little better this week and were fortunate to come out on top.
East lost 33-22 to Pekin on Sept. 2 and the team’s swift response pleased Harrison.
“Our guys were really disappointed after last week because we didn’t think we played our best football,” he said. “The kids, almost to a man, came up to me this week and said ‘I have to play better.’ When you get that kind of commitment and that kind of personal responsibility from the kids, we know we are doing things the right way.
“All week long I felt pretty confident. I knew the guys would bounce back with how we played last week. It’s exciting to see. We really just executed a lot better. Up front, we blocked really well.”
Harrison admitted the long bus ride concerned him, but noted the team quickly vanquished those worries.
“I was kind of worried with a little bit of a lag being on the bus that long,” he said. “But the guys got out ready to go and, from the middle of the first quarter on, really played well.”
Individually, Harrison praised the play of quarterback Darron Millender Jr. and running back Moisey Trimble, who notched a long touchdown run. Harrison also highlighted Kiethen Jones’s rushing touchdown.
“What was really neat was guys who don’t get to contribute as much were able to have the opportunity to make some plays,” Harrison said. “Kiethen Jones had a big touchdown at the end of game to really bust it wide open. It was nice to see guys who normally don’t get a chance to contribute do well and to see new faces get an opportunity to step up and perform well.”
As noted, East now turns its attention to SWC action as Harrison’s club hosts powerful East St. Louis in the league opener for both clubs. The Flyers lost 10-8 on Friday to Creekside, Georgia.
“Our kids are definitely excited about it,” he said. “I feel like we’re playing some good football Obviously, in the Southwestern Conference, there are no easy weeks. Every game is tough. No matter who you’re playing, it’s going to be a tough ballgame.
“Obviously, East St. Louis is the perennial favorite in the Southwestern Conference. We’ve got our work cut out for us. They’re a really good club and we’ll have our hands full. At the end of the day, we’ll concentrate on being the best Belleville East team we can be and executing our assignments and hopefully the ball bounces in our favor.”
Maroons fall to Barbs
Belleville West, meanwhile, dropped to 0-3 following a 48-0 home loss to DeKalb on Friday night. Despite the outcome, coach Jason Wells saw several positives from his team.
Of note, running back Jahkori Adams rushed for 122 yards on 17 carries while Wells said the team “found a new slot receiver” in Exavier Zeilman, who hauled in seven catches for 105 yards. Both Adams and Zeilman are sophomores.
“This may sound bad, but in the first half, we probably had some of our best offensive series of the (season),” he said. “We were able to move the ball. We just didn’t capitalize on the big plays that presented themselves. We left a couple plays out there. Our receivers just didn’t haul the passes in.
“However there were a lot of positives and some things to build on going into Southwestern Conference play.”
As Wells alluded to, the Maroons open league action at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16, at home against Alton. The Redbirds’ lone win in 2021 was against Belleville West — 6-3 — something Wells noted. Alton lost 47-0 at Collinsville on Friday.
“I know for us, as upset as our kids were tonight, we realize we owe them,” Wells said. “I know this loss stung, but I know our kids are looking forward to opening conference play against Alton.”
Wells said the Maroons must capitalize when plays present themselves.
“I’m excited to see how this week of practice goes preparing for Alton,” he said. “It’s going to come down to who can eliminate mistakes, execute and be disciplined. It definitely will be a good game come next Friday night.”
This story was originally published September 10, 2022 at 12:14 AM.