Belleville East dominates second half in intracity win over Althoff

Belleville East’s football team had Friday night’s rivalry showdown with Althoff circled on its calendar for months.

The Lancers played like it, using a 17-point third quarter to overcome a 10-7 halftime deficit on their way to a 31-17 victory in the second straight meeting between the teams after a 29-year hiatus.

“It’s one we had circled on our calendar for a long time,” Belleville East coach Michael Harrison said.

The Lancers fell to the Crusaders 49-21 at Township Stadium last season. “We wanted to play well. A lot of those guys, we grew up with and know. When you’re playing your friends, your cousins, your brothers ... it was a big one. These guys have been chomping at the bit to play Althoff.”

Senior running back Jaedon Beamon backed up his coach’s remarks.

“We put up a fight with them last year, and this year we went back to the drawing board,” Beamon said. “At half, we were down three points and then made up for everything. We all played well. Our O-line played well; we couldn’t have won without them. And the defense got us on the field in the second half.”

Fellow senior running back Josh Ware added, “This definitely meant a lot to me. It was a big assignment to beat Althoff this year.”

Harrison praised his seniors for the strong response after intermission as the Lancers — who defeated Pekin 26-14 in Week 2 — improved to 3-0.

“I think we went in at halftime and were a little frustrated and felt we left some opportunities on the field,” he said. “Honestly, it’s a testament to our senior leadership and our captains. They took over the locker room at halftime, told everyone to calm down and that we had it under control and just needed to execute.

“And that’s what we did. It’s really a testament to our senior leaders that we came out on top. The kids played great tonight.”

East’s defense also shined, securing one turnover and forcing Althoff to turn the ball over on downs four times. Althoff entered the game with a high-powered offense that had scored 76 points in its first two games.

“The defense played really well,” Ware said. “They got themselves off the field and got us back on the field to do our jobs. They definitely played really well. We couldn’t have done it without them.”

Harrison echoed Ware’s remarks and praised defensive coach Doug Zerjal.

“Coach Zerjal does an outstanding job,” he said. “Those guys on the defensive side of the ball have been lights out all year. We felt like we had them contained most of the game. Their quarterback is a good ballplayer, but for the better part of the game, we did a great job — from the defensive line to the kids in the backfield, our defense played an outstanding game.”

Althoff, the reigning IHSA Class 3A champ, fell to 2-1. The Crusaders entered the game on a 16-game winning streak, ranked No. 3 in the latest Associated Press Class 3A poll, and had won 26 of their last 28 games dating to the 2023 season.

Althoff coach Austin Frazier praised the Lancers’ performance while noting positives for his own squad.

“We had our offensive struggles tonight, but a lot of that had to do with East,” said Frazier, whose team defeated Highland 42-26 in Week 2. “They are a senior-led group and a very good team ... They are 3-0 and pretty clearly an 8A playoff team that might make some noise. Kudos to them. But we had execution issues that kind of plagued us throughout.

“I think maybe the biggest thing is this wasn’t an effort thing for us. We’re just young. We just need to learn to keep our composure and learn how to execute when the stress is high. We need to do some maturing, but it’s only Week 3, so we have plenty of time to do it.”

Frazier also lamented East’s 17-point third quarter.

“The third quarter was a nightmare,” Frazier said. “It was what we call a ‘quicksand quarter’ where you have three-and-outs and then give up a quick score.”

After a scoreless first quarter, East struck first with senior Kayden Wood’s 37-yard touchdown pass to senior Anthony Hych. Senior Sam Haake converted the point after.

Althoff responded with 10 unanswered points: junior quarterback Jayden Ellington scored on a 4-yard run with 4:52 left before halftime, followed by sophomore Austin Wilkinson’s extra point. Wilkinson then kicked a field goal with 1:05 remaining in the half for a 10-7 halftime margin.

The Lancers roared back with a 17-point third quarter. Ware’s 39-yard touchdown run, coupled with Haake’s extra point, put the Lancers ahead to stay at 14-10 with 9:15 left in the quarter. Haake’s field goal three minutes later made it 17-10, before Ware’s 49-yard touchdown run and another Haake PAT capped the uprising and gave East a 24-10 lead.

After Althoff turned the ball over on downs at its own 32 with 8:32 left, East extended the lead to 31-10 on Beamon’s 4-yard touchdown run with 7:01 remaining. Haake added the extra point. Althoff quickly cut the lead to 31-17 as Ellington connected with junior Eli Bolden for an 80-yard touchdown with 6:42 left. Wilkinson made the extra point.

After a stop, the Crusaders appeared poised to pull within seven as Ellington broke a long run to the Lancers’ 4-yard line, but a holding penalty negated the play. East’s defense regrouped and forced a turnover on downs to seal the victory.

“We had opportunities,” Frazier said. “We marked four or five plays that could have been huge plays that we left on the table. When you play good opponents, you can’t do that. That’s our youth and our maturity.”

Both teams resume play at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19. Belleville East opens Southwestern Conference play at O’Fallon, while Althoff hosts Marion.