Althoff wins to become playoff eligible while West drops heartbreaker in season finale

Althoff became playoff eligible with a white knuckle 17-14 road win against Alton on Friday night.

On Saturday night, the 5-4 Crusaders officially secured a playoff spot and will face Shelbyville at 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, in a first round game. Althoff is the 14 seed while Shelbyville, the No. 3 seed, is 8-1.

Becoming playoff eligible thrilled Althoff coach Austin Frazier, whose team secured their first playoff berth since 2017.

“Obviously, the whole reason to play high school football is to win and then have an opportunity to play in November,” Frazier said following the Alton win. “That was the goal and these guys achieved it. I can tell you right now it’s a happy bus.”

After falling behind 7-0, a pair of rushing touchdowns from quarterback Braylon Grayson helped Althoff build a 14-7 lead in the third quarter. The Redbirds (1-8) immediately responded to tie the score at 14 and it stayed that way until about 6 minutes remained when Tyler Schmieder kicked what turned out to be the game-winning field goal.

It was Schmieder’s first field goal of the season and Althoff made that stand up.

“We made the plays we needed to make when our backs were against the wall,” Frazier said. “We made it a little harder on ourselves than we probably should have with some turnovers ... but give credit to Alton. It was their homecoming night. They had a solid gameplan running some time off the clock. They put themselves in a position to win the game.

“We left some things out there on the field, but all that matters is we won and put ourselves in playoff eligibility. That’s the most important thing.”

Maroons suffer heartbreaker

Belleville West had leads of 14-0 and 20-14 but ultimately dropped a tough 22-20 verdict to Hickman, Missouri. The Maroons finished the season at 0-9.

“I was very proud of the effort,” West coach Jason Wells said. “I could see the camaraderie on the sideline and the kids really pulling for each other.”

The Maroons led 14-0 at halftime but, on their first offensive series of the second half, fumbled. The Kewpies took advantage and scored to make it 14-6. West had a chance to build on the lead after Hickman snapped the ball over the punter’s head. The Maroons marched to the goalline, but ultimately were stopped.

The Kewpies then marched down the field to tie the score at 14.

West went back ahead 20-14 late in the fourth quarter, but Hickman responded with a touchdown drive, went for two and got it. The Maroons got the ball back with 2 1/2 minutes left but stalled. West then appeared to get a stop on a third and long on Hickman’s next series, but a personal foul penalty sealed the outcome.

“They just made a couple more plays than we did,” Wells said.

Coach notes positive signs

Despite the outcome, the West coach noted several strong performances. Senior Jason Bean notched 12 tackles and a sack, while junior Jahkori Adams rushed 26 times for 133 yards and a touchdown. Fellow junior Exavier Zeilman, meanwhile, hauled in 7 catches for 84 yards and a touchdown and “made some explosive plays,” according to Wells.

Additionally, junior Brian Jackson had two catches, which included a 55-yard touchdown reception. Jackson broke his hand the first week of the season before returning against O’Fallon on Oct. 7.

“We’ve been trying to get him back into the flow,” Wells said. “To see him catch that pass and explode the way he did ... it was great to see the look on his face.”

Wells also praised the offensive line’s performance, specifically from sophomores Logan Davis and Lawrence Powell.

“Those are our workhorses,” Wells said of the duo and the offensive line as a whole.

Looking toward the future

With the season at a close, Wells already is excited about 2023 and has high expectations for his club.

“Even though we didn’t get the victory, all the guys who made the plays are coming back,” Wells said. “I hate it for the seniors that they were not able to go out on top with a win. But I expect big things for next year and expect to still be playing in November. It (stunk) that we lost, but the kids saw we have some pieces and have a lot coming back.”

Hickman finished 2-7.

This story was originally published October 22, 2022 at 6:30 AM.