Belleville East’s rebound win sets up SWC showdown with East St. Louis
The Belleville East Lancers rolled to a 47-6 victory over Alton to improve to 5-1 overall and 2-1 in Southwestern Conference play.
“The boys played well tonight,” East coach Michael Harrison said. “We came out and were focused all week long. We got ready and wanted to get the bad taste out of our mouth from last week (against Edwardsville). We came out and executed early and throughout the first quarter. We got up and the ball bounced our way.
“Overall, the guys played well, blocked well up front and we were able to get the ball to the skilled guys and let them do their things.”
The Lancers were coming off a tough 41-39 loss to Edwardsville in Week 5. East overcame a 35-20 third-quarter deficit to take a 39-35 lead, but the Tigers scored late to secure the victory.
Erasing that tough outcome was satisfying for the Lancers, with Harrison specifically praising defensive coordinator Doug Zerjal and his unit.
“Our defensive coordinator and those boys on defense take a lot of pride in what they do, and I think those guys were pretty disappointed last Friday,” Harrison said. “Not just the defense but all our guys. I think for them they couldn’t wait to get back on the field and go out and kind of get that bad taste out of their mouth.
“The defensive guys played very well. They gave us the ball in good field position early and through the first half and made it easy for the offense, and the offense took advantage and put points on the board. It was good for our guys to come out and execute and get back on the right track.”
Harrison’s club now will focus on powerful East St. Louis, which won 54-0 at Edwardsville on Friday. The Flyers, who played a daunting nonconference schedule that produced two losses, are 3-2 overall and 2-0 in SWC play.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 10, at East.
“To be honest, I haven’t watched them on film minus their game against Alton,” Harrison said. “So, I was able to see them on film a bit. Honestly, you hear about what they’re doing playing a national schedule and seeing how they did. But we don’t have a true breakdown of them yet. We know they have some talented big guys.
“We’ll take a close look at what they do and figure out a game plan to help our guys have the best chance to be successful. It’s a big ball game — all Southwestern Conference games are. It should be an exciting ball game coming up next Friday.”
Alton dropped to 0-6 overall and 0-3 in conference action. The Redbirds host Belleville West at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 10.
O’Fallon at Belleville West
The Maroons dropped their third straight game to fall to 2-4 overall and 0-3 in Southwestern Conference play following a 46-30 home loss to the Panthers.
O’Fallon improved to 3-4 overall and 2-1 in league play.
Both teams resume action at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 10, as the Maroons travel to Alton and the Panthers host Edwardsville.