1 win from title game, East St. Louis again faces a familiar opponent in semifinal
Lemont football coach Bret Kooi is thrilled about being on the doorstep of the IHSA Class 6A state finals.
But his team’s semifinal round opponent? Not so much.
“We would be a bit more excited if we weren’t seeing East St. Louis,” Kooi said with a laugh Wednesday morning before adding, “but we’re definitely excited to be in the semifinals.”
Kooi and his Lemont club will host the high-powered Flyers — who have not allowed a point yet this postseason — at 2 p.m. Saturday with a berth to the state championship game on the line. Kooi’s team is seeded No. 2 and boasts a 12-0 mark while sixth-seeded East St. Louis has won nine-straight games and is 10-2.
And, for the second-straight week, East St. Louis will face a familiar foe in the postseason. In the quarterfinals, the Flyers defeated Crete Monee 45-0, the same club they ousted in the 2021 semifinals. During that same playoff run, East St. Louis handled Lemont 42-21 in the quarterfinal round.
Kooi hopes that experience benefits his team Saturday.
“Once you see them once — even thought it’s a different year — you get a little bit of an idea of what’s out there facing you,” he said. “It’s not one of those situations where you don’t know anything about them. That helps you in my opinion prep-wise as well. Our kids have been through that stage of facing them and now it’s a semifinal football game and we know we’re playing an extremely good football team.”
East St. Louis coach Darren Sunkett did not return multiple messages from the BND for this story.
Lemont is coming off a 14-0 quarterfinal win against Chicago Kenwood and also previously defeated Blue Island Eisenhower (55-14) and Quincy (38-24) in postseason action.
“Our defense stepped up big time (against Chicago Kenwood),” said Kooi, who is in his ninth season as Lemont’s head coach. “It was one of those situations where we got a score on the board and I got pretty conservative on the offensive side because I thought the defense would hold them. Then, especially when got the second score, we got more conservative and took care of the clock with the defense playing so well.
“We’re just peaking at the right time on that side of the ball.”
East St. Louis, meanwhile, defeated Oak Lawn Richards (71-0), Normal Community West (40-0) and Crete-Monee to reach the semifinals.
Overall, the Flyers boast a high octane offense led by junior quarterback Robert Battle, who has thrown for 1,892 yards and 21 touchdowns while rushing for another 10 scores. Sophomore TaRyan Martin highlights a stout rushing attack with 1,033 yards and 17 touchdowns, while Jesse Watson leads a talented wide receiver corps with 431 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.
On defense, junior Dominic Dixon anchors the Flyers with 107 solo tackles and 10 sacks while University of Illinois recruit Antwon Hayden has 88 total tackles. Not to be forgotten is 6-7, 343-pound offensive lineman Miles McVay, who is committed to the University of Alabama.
Another weapon in the Flyers’ arsenal is junior kicker Rico Bond, who booted five extra points against Oak Lawn Richards and six extra points and a 33-yard field goal against Crete-Monee. East St. Louis previously was without a kicker, leaving it in a situation to have to rely on two-point conversion attempts.
Overall, since starting 1-2, the Flyers have averaged nearly 53 points per game while allowing a little more than four points per contest and posting six shutouts. East St. Louis has impressed Kooi on multiple fronts.
“Obviously, the biggest challenge is their team speed — especially on the defensive side,” he said. “They absolutely fly to the ball. The coaches we’ve talked to said it seems like there’s 20 guys on the field for them. They move so quick. They read so well and get downhill. They’re extremely fast and play fast defensively.
“On offense, you have to talk about their offensive line. It’s like a college football O-line. They’re big, nasty, coached well and they move well. Then add that on top of having an extremely talented quarterback and running back and they’re scary to see.”
Meanwhile, for Lemont, senior quarterback Payton Salomon helps engineer what Kooi described as a balanced offense, throwing for 2,000 yards and 26 TD this fall. Salomon’s top target is senior wide receiver Luke Wallace, who has 36 receptions for 856 yards and 11 TD. Senior running back Nate Wrublik anchors the ground game with 1,041 yards and 15 touchdowns on 145 carries.
“We do a nice job throwing the ball and we’ve had quite a bit of success running ball,” Kooi said. “If teams try to take one those away, we’re capable of hurting teams with the other. I think that’ll help us out Saturday. We want to try to create a bit of balance and keep them guessing.”
Lemont’s defense also has impressed.
“Defensively, I think we’re starting to peak at the right time and are playing sound, fundamental football,” he said. “The kids are buying in and are playing well. We’re relatively healthy — as much as you could say at this time of year. We have a big challenge ahead of us and we’re aware of that. We’re just trying to get as best prepared as we can.”
All in all, Kooi said two keys to advancing are limiting the turnovers and starting fast.
“The No. 1 thing — and I’m sure everyone will attest to that — is you have to take care of the football,” Kooi said. “They do a great job of creating turnovers — getting picks or balls on the ground. They’re very skilled at that. And then trying to get off to a fast start. We’ve got to see if we can move the ball early in the game, have some success, flip the field and try to build on that.”
Snapshot of East St. Louis & Lemont
Records/seeds: East St. Louis is 10-2 and seeded No. 6. Lemont is 12-0 and seeded No. 2.
Kickoff: 2 p.m. Saturday at Lemont High School.
More about East St. Louis, Crete-Monee: The Flyers won the Southwestern Conference with a 5-0 mark. Lemont won the South Suburban Conference with a 6-0 record. The Flyers have not allowed a point in 3 games this postseason.
Quarterfinal playoff game: The Flyers defeated Crete-Monee 45-0. Lemont defeated Chicago Kenwood 14-0.
Next game: The winner will face either No. 4 seed Chicago Saint Ignatius College Prep (10-2) or No. 2 seed Crystal Lake Prairie Ridge (11-1) in the state championship, which is set for 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 26, at Memorial Stadium on the campus of the University of Illinois in Champaign.
East St. Louis players to watch: QB Robert Battle (141-235, 1,892 yards, 21 TD; 102 rushes, 648 yards, 10 TD); RB Larevious Woods (113 rushes, 761 yards, 12 TD); RB TaRyan Martin (139 rushes, 1,033 yards, 17 TD); WR Christopher Bennett Jr. (36 catches, 437 yards, 3 TD); WR Jesse Watson (29 receptions, 431 yards, 8 TD); LB Dominic Dixon (107 tackles, 36 assists, 143 total tackles, 10 sacks); OL Miles McVay.
Lemont players to watch: QB Payton Salomon (111-139, 2,000 yards, 26 TD); RB Nate Wrublik (145 rushes, 1,041 yards, 15 TD); WR Luke Wallace (36 receptions, 856 yards, 11 TD).
BND reporter Ahmad Lathan contributed to this story.
This story was originally published November 18, 2022 at 7:00 AM.