Belleville East gives valiant effort before falling to undefeated South Elgin
Belleville East’s football team gave themselves every opportunity to snatch a victory in the opening round of the IHSA Class 8A playoffs Friday night.
In the end, however, the resilient Lancers fell a bit short, dropping a 28-20 verdict to undefeated South Elgin. Belleville East, seeded No. 29, finished the season at 5-5, while No. 4 seed South Elgin improved to 10-0.
The Lancers actually led 20-14 heading into the fourth quarter before South Elgin posted consecutive touchdowns to prevail.
“Our kids did a heck of a job,” Lancers coach Michael Harrison said. “Again, we were led by our seniors ... the seniors played extremely well. And the team as a whole played very well against an undefeated team. We gave ourselves a chance at the end to win the game. Unfortunately, the ball didn’t bounce our way. But the kids did an outstanding job across the board.”
The Lancers jumped out to a 6-0 lead on junior Armon Vincent’s touchdown pass to classmate Jordan Pickett. The point after failed. Trailing 7-6 at halftime, Belleville East bolted ahead 14-7 in the third quarter as Vinson hit junior Dezmond Clark for a touchdown pass and then connected with fellow junior Justin Spears for the two-point conversion.
After South Elgin tied the score at 14, East answered with Vinson’s scoring strike to Spears for a 20-14 lead in the third quarter. The point after failed. South Elgin went back in front 21-20, then converted a successful onside kick and turned that into a touchdown for a 28-20 lead in the fourth quarter.
“That kind of deflated us a little bit. That gave us a little bit of a gut punch,” Harrison said of the onside kick.
East’s defense held after that, but an interception stymied the comeback effort.
“We basically gave them a touchdown so we could get the ball back to score with some time on the clock,” Harrison said of South Elgin’s touchdown following the onside kick. “We gave ourselves a couple chances ... but we didn’t execute enough down the stretch to win a playoff game against an undefeated team.”
While Friday’s near miss stings, Harrison was elated with the season — most notably, simply making the playoffs, a team goal prior to the campaign. Harrison also highlighted his team’s strong performance against other playoff teams, including a 20-12 victory against Collinsville and a 28-27, double overtime loss to Edwardsville.
“Again, as we look back on the season as a whole, it really hurts right now,” Harrison said. “Coming off a loss tonight in a game we were winning and a game we felt like we could win, it’s a tough pill to swallow. But when we look back on the season, we accomplished our No. 1 goal, which was to make the playoffs.
“It will be a successful season when we look back and give ourselves time to heal.”
High marks for senior class
Harrison further praised the entire senior class for helping spark the program’s resurgence. Individually, Harrison mentioned senior running backs Moisey Trimble and Markevious Curiton along with linemen Anthony Cunningham and OJ Mosley and defensive back Jayden Howard.
“Our seniors led us all the way through,” Harrison said. “We wouldn’t have had any success without this senior group. These guys came in four years ago who hadn’t won more than two or three games in a season ... they’ve been the group to turn it around for us.”
About Cunningham, Mosley and Howard, Harrison added, “We relied so heavily on those guys this year. Those guys are all three-year varsity starters. We’ve depended on those guys a lot the last three years.”
Bright future
Looking ahead, Harrison undoubtedly is excited about 2023. He noted the Lancers return six or seven starters on both offense and defense which seemingly will set the foundation for another strong campaign.
“We have a lot coming back,” Harrison said. “These kids got a little bit of that taste of success. With off-season workouts and summer camp practices, these kids will take it more seriously to know how to be successful in the playoffs. I’m excited about our future. I’m excited about where we’re going. And I’m happy about where the program is going. I’m really excited to get rolling next year.”