Resurgent O’Fallon set to battle powerful East St. Louis in marquee Saturday showdown

O’Fallon football coach Byron Gettis has a succinct yet poignant motto: Brick by brick.

And he’s built the O’Fallon program up in just that manner.

Gettis currently has the Panthers at 4-0 overall, 1-0 in the Southwestern Conference and ranked No. 5 in the latest AP Class 8A poll. They’ll face a huge test in Gettis’ fourth season on Saturday, as they host the powerful East St. Louis Flyers at 1 p.m. in a league game.

East St. Louis is 2-2 — with the losses coming against powerhouse teams from Baltimore and Georgia — and ranked No. 1 in the latest AP Class 6A poll. The Flyers finished second in state last fall, have nine state championships to their credit — the last one coming in 2020 — and again have a star-studded cast that includes University of Alabama and University of Illinois commits.

Gettis, who began his O’Fallon career in 2011 as the defensive line coach, understands the task at hand.

“Without a doubt, East St. Louis is nationally-renowned program,” he said. “They’ve got good players, they have a good coaching staff, and a rich history. I think our team is looking forward to the match-up. Anytime you get to play a team like East St. Louis, it’s pretty exciting. The kids are excited about it. This is another opportunity for our team to go out and get better and play a big game.”

Both teams are coming off victories in Week 4 as O’Fallon rallied to beat Edwardsville — ranked No. 10 in the latest AP Class 8A poll — 32-31 and East St. Louis defeated Belleville East 57-0.

Saturday’s game represents a snapshot of O’Fallon resurgence under Gettis.

Prior to his arrival, the Panthers went 3-6 overall and 3-4 in the SWC in 2017. In 2018, they were 1-8 overall and 0-7 in SWC play. Gettis’ first season was 2019 with the Panthers going 3-6 and lost to East St. Louis 51-3.

In 2020, O’Fallon posted a 3-1 mark in the COVID-truncated campaign that took place in the spring with the Panthers defeating the Flyers 28-19. Then, in 2021, O’Fallon went 6-4 and 4-1 in league action but lost to the Flyers 48-2.

Now, his Panthers take the big stage against a local and national power. Gettis expects a rough-and-tumble Southwestern Conference affair.

“It’s going to be a physical game. Like any game, it will come down to who makes the least mistakes and whose players can make the most plays,” Gettis said.

All in all, the fourth-year Panthers coach offered plenty of praise for the Panthers’ resurgence, including previous coaches who helped the program succeed.

“I think the coaching staff, the support, the administration and the community has been a big impact,” he said. “O’Fallon has only had four coaches in its history. Each has been pretty much successful in their own right. I just wanted to add my thought process and my program within what was already here. We haven’t had a whole bunch of turnover in the coaching staff. Once you get that solidified I think there’s more buy in.”

Gettis also called his current group of players “special.”

“This was the freshman group when I came in,” Gettis said. “For the most part, these guys have been dialed in and have gotten better every year. When I talk about brick by brick, it’s about building a program, making more progress and kids understand playing for O’Fallon has an expectancy.

“They’re enjoying their time and upholding that standard and expectation.”

While Saturday’s game is anything but a must-win situation, Gettis also noted beating the Flyers would not be just an “ordinary” victory.

“It has a lot of implications,” Gettis said. “It’s a conference game. It’s an important game. That’s a good program. You beat a good program like East St. Louis, it’s big for the kids. It’s a confidence builder. But it’s just one of those games ... we win this game we know that we have an opportunity to continue on and beat some good teams.

“East St. Louis, with their pedigree and all the good players they have, to go out and beat them would be good for all the kids. It’s so much bigger than a regular game.”

East St. Louis Coach Darren Sunkett didn’t respond this week to requests for comments about Saturday’s matchup. He said after last week’s win over Belleville East that each new week brings his Flyers an opportunity to build.

“We’ve still got some things we need to work both offensively and defensively,” he said. “We just want to get better within our team each and every week. I think that’s where we’re going. We took another step today toward bettering ourselves.”

Game Snapshot:

• Game time/date: 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24.
• Location: O’Fallon Township High School.
• Most recent game: O’Fallon defeated Edwardsville 32-31. East St. Louis blanked Belleville East 57-0.
• Rankings: East St. Louis is ranked No. 1 in the latest AP Class 6A poll. O’Fallon is No. 5 in the AP Class 8A poll.
• Next game: Both teams play at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1, as O’Fallon visits East and East St. Louis hosts Belleville West.
• East St. Louis players to watch: QB Robert Battle (54-110, 688 yards, 8 TD); RB TaRyan Martin (56 rushes, 332 yards, 3 TD); LB Antwon Hayden (University of Illinois commit), 33 total tackles; OL Miles McVay (University of Alabama commit).
• O’Fallon players to watch: QB Colt Michael (71-112, 1,094, 13 TD); WR Jalen Smith (24 receptions, 451 yards, 7 TD); RB Christopher Caldwell (63 rushes, 461 yards, 4 TD).
• Fun fact: A former Cahokia High School star, Gettis reached the major leagues in 2004 where he played 21 games with the Kansas City Royals.

This story was originally published September 23, 2022 at 8:00 AM.