East St. Louis takes first step toward 11th state crown with dominating 1st-round win
East St. Louis’ football team used a devastating combination of high-octane offense and stifling defense to roll past Springfield High School in the first round of the IHSA Class 6A postseason Saturday at Clyde C. Jordan Stadium.
The top-seeded Flyers scored all eight times they had the ball, while the defense only allowed one first down en route to a 67-0 victory against the visiting Senators.
East St. Louis — coming off a 14-13 overtime loss to nationally ranked IMG Academy from Florida — improved to 9-1.
“We knew we had to come back and respond from the loss last week and respond in a dominating way so it could roll over into the rest of the playoffs,” said Flyers senior quarterback Kendrick Lyons, who completed 17 of 22 passes for 230 yards and three touchdowns Saturday. “Run game, O-line was doing their job, receivers were doing their job … everything was working.”
Junior wide receiver Kortez Rupert praised the team’s performance as well.
“We played good. We prepared all week for this. We wanted to go out there and score 50-plus, and we did,” Rupert said. “The standard is to just win. Every game in the playoffs is win or go home. We’re just playing like it’s our last game so we can prepare for the state championship.”
Seeking its 11th state crown, East St. Louis now will host Normal West in a second-round playoff game. The ninth-seeded Wildcats defeated No. 8 seed Chicago Simeon 20-15 on Saturday afternoon.
Normal West (8-2) and the Flyers squared off the previous two postseasons, with East St. Louis winning 40-0 in 2022 and 54-7 in 2023.
The date and time are to be determined.
“Next week, Normal West is coming here,” Sunkett said. “I’m sure their goal is the same as ours: To get to state. We have to make sure we’re well-prepared and handle business on our end. They have a real good program and have had a lot of success over the years.
“We definitely respect Normal West, and we’re going to prepare for those guys like we would anyone else.”
The 16th-seeded Senators, meanwhile, finished their season at 5-5.
“They have Division I players all over the field,” Springfield coach Jon Hebb said. “We struggled moving the ball and that didn’t help our defense much. I thought our defense made them earn it, especially in the first quarter. I am proud of our seniors. This is my third year, and it’s been a gradual process to get back to the playoffs.”
A 15-play drive capped by Rupert’s acrobatic, one-handed 16-yard touchdown reception from Lyons put the Flyers ahead 6-0 with six minutes left in the first quarter. Sophomore Reece Shanklin added the extra point.
“My QB just trusted me, threw it up and I just made the play,” Rupert said.
Sophomore Ahmad Coleman’s 12-yard touchdown run with 3:08 remaining in the quarter, coupled with Shanklin’s point after, upped the lead to 13-0. Lyons’ 54-yard pass to Rupert keyed the drive.
After another stop, senior Christopher Bennett Jr. returned a punt 45 yards to the Springfield 2-yard-line. Sophomore Amir Tilman scored on the next play for a 19-0 margin.
Springfield then fumbled a snap on a punt attempt that Flyers senior Quintin Kirby recovered at the 9-yard-line. Coleman rumbled 9 yards for a touchdown the next play and, after Shanklin’s point after, East St. Louis had a commanding 26-0 lead with 10:52 left in the second quarter.
Lyons’ 38-yard touchdown pass to Rupert a couple of minutes later made the score 32-0. Shanklin added the point after. Of note, East St. Louis overcame a second-and-41 situation on the drive.
Lyons’ 11-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Laron Baker Jr. and Tilman’s 12-yard scoring run gave East St. Louis a 46-0 halftime lead.
In the second half, Shanklin, also the backup quarterback, connected with junior Armaad Sharp for a 15-yard touchdown pass. Tilman added a 45-yard touchdown run and Coleman had a rushing score to complete the scoring.
All in all, the Flyers took an impressive first step toward another state championship.
“We knew what we had to accomplish. Our model now is ‘the road to state,’” East Side coach Darren Sunkett said. “The guys worked Monday through Friday to prepare for this game, and I thought they did a great job. It was a complete game offensively, defensively and special teams.
“We set goals each and every week for our defense to accomplish and for our offense to accomplish, and we did that today.”
Other playoff results
Here is a look at other postseason games from Saturday:
Class 2A
No. 16 seed Red Bud fell to No. 1 seed Johnston City (10-0) 46-13. The Musketeers finished 5-5.
Class 3A
No. 4 seed Nashville defeated No. 13 seed Olympia 42-35. The Hornets (9-1) now will face No. 5 seed Greenville (9-1), which defeated No. 12 seed Fairfield 48-6 on Saturday.
No. 8 seed Roxana lost to No. 9 seed Tolono Unity 44-31. The Shells finished the season 7-3.
Class 4A
No. 1 seed Breese Central defeated No. 16 seed Harrisburg 42-0. The Cougars (10-0) now will face No. 9 seed Murphysboro (8-2), which defeated No. 8 seed Macomb 56-33 on Saturday.
No. 3 seed Waterloo defeated No. 14 seed Taylorville 33-30. The Bulldogs (9-1) now face No. 6 Cahokia (8-2), which defeated No. 11 Columbia 30-17 on Friday night. The Eagles finished the season 6-4.
This story was originally published November 2, 2024 at 7:06 PM.