Belleville East keeps playoff hopes alive with shutout of cross-town rival West
Belleville East accomplished two important things during Saturday’s 41-0 Southwestern Conference win against cross-town rival Belleville West.
First, the Lancers won on Senior Day. Second, and more importantly, Belleville East kept its postseason chances alive. With the victory, the Lancers are now 4-4 overall and a win Friday, Oct. 21, against Granite City at home would make them playoff eligible. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Needless to say, securing a playoff berth would be monumental.
“It would mean the world to us to be in the playoffs,” said junior Jordan Pickett, who caught a touchdown pass Saturday. “I think we did a great job today. The offensive line played great and we all played well.”
All in all, Belleville East’s performance pleased coach Michael Harrison, whose team was coming off a heartbreaking 28-27 double overtime loss to Edwardsville.
“Obviously that’s one of our goals — at the beginning of the year we said we wanted to make the playoffs,” said Harrison, whose team finished 2-3 in SWC play. “We had to get this one before we could concentrate on the next one. And any time you play your cross-town rival, that’s another big thing. It was definitely a big one on the schedule for us this week.
“A lot of guys played well today. This was a good overall win for us. With it being Senior Day, it was nice to come out and execute so well today.”
Added Pickett, “Last week, we felt like we could have pulled that out. It was important to bounce back and get this win.”
The Maroons, meanwhile, fell to 0-8 overall and completed conference action at 0-5. West will look to break into the win column at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21, when it hosts Hickman, Missouri.
Despite the outcome, coach Jason Wells praised his team, which has been saddled with key injuries all season yet has continued playing hard throughout.
“That shows the character of kids we have; they are a really good group of kids,” Wells said. “We’re just kind of prepping and getting ready for next year. We’re a young group. We’ve been ravaged with injuries. This is valuable experience for them. The future is bright for Belleville West football. The kids know we’re getting better.”
Wells further noted the experience his young team has received this season only will help in the future.
“We just have to learn to start faster,” he said. “We’re a young group. We have very few seniors. So let this be a learning experience for them and understand that the offseason is very important and the weight room is very important.”
Belleville East started fast as junior Markevious Curiton’s 14-yard touchdown run with 9:09 left in the first quarter made the score 6-0. Sophomore Grayson Parker added the extra point. Junior Armon Vinson’s 30-yard touchdown run a couple minutes later extended the lead to 13-0.
Belleville East puts the game away
Junior Darron Millender Jr. then connected with Vinson for a 43-yard scoring strike with 11:53 left in the second quarter and, following junior Brandon Coleman’s two-point conversion run, the Lancers were firmly in control at 21-0. A little more than two minutes later, Vinson and Pickett hooked up for a nifty 35-yard touchdown pass as Pickett spun away from a Belleville West defender and raced to the end zone, making the score 27-0.
Just 5:43 before halftime, Vinson found junior Justin Spears for a 15-yard touchdown and a 33-0 lead. Parker nailed the extra point. Vinson and Spears again made connections for a 28-yard scoring pass with just 40 seconds left in the half for a 40-0 lead, kicking off the running mercy rule clock for the second half. Parker again hit the extra point.
