East St. Louis dominates St. Laurence, rolls into 6A title game
Fast-moving objects filled the sky all game from the departing flights at nearby Chicago Midway Airport. There were fast-moving objects on the field as well, most of them wearing the orange and blue of the East St. Louis Flyers.
In an Illinois Class 6A semifinal at Kavanagh Stadium, the Flyers ran wild in a 50-7 victory over St. Laurence to advance to the state championship game for the second year in a row.
The Flyers (9-3) will attempt to secure their second straight state title and third in the past four years Saturday in Bloomington against Oak Park Fenwick.
Four-star prospect and running back Myson Johnson-Cook rushed for 155 yards and four touchdowns, while backfield mate Ahmad Coleman amassed 176 yards and three scores to put away the host Vikings (8-5) early.
The Flyers have now outscored in-state opponents 499-40 this season.
“Playoff time, you want to limit opponent possessions if you can, so we felt like we could have some pretty good success running it,” Flyers coach Darren Sunkett said.
Sunkett, who is seeking his sixth state title Saturday as East St. Louis goes for its 12th overall, added: “We leaned on our running backs a little bit more. We’ve got three great ones we can give the ball to.”
Behind a dominant offensive line that includes 6-foot-1, 305-pound senior Jordan Henderson and 6-3, 318-pound senior Mytrell Tilman, Cook, Coleman and Amir Tillman found plenty of room to run.
Before 13 minutes had elapsed, the Flyers held a 16-0 lead after touchdown runs from Coleman (three yards), Cook (11 yards), and a safety when junior Jabarri Lofton blocked a St. Laurence punt that squibbed out of the Vikings’ end zone.
By halftime, East St. Louis led 37-0. Cook made it 23-0 with a seven-yard run, Coleman added a four-yard score to make it 26-0, and Cook capped the Flyers’ dominant first half with a 12-yard touchdown run.
The only suspense from there was when the running clock would start, which happened with about seven minutes left in the game.
“This team’s got a brotherhood, and a great coaching staff,” Cook said. “I’ve been on some good teams, but this team has a brothership and that’s why we’re going to the state finals.”
Flyers quarterback Reece Shanklin had his usual efficient game, despite throwing two interceptions. He delivered clutch throws when needed, including a 12-yard completion to senior Kortez Rupert on 4th-and-10 in the first half with the score at 16-0.
With stars in the backfield and at receiver, it is easy to overlook the 6-1, 186-pound junior quarterback, but Shanklin plays with poise in the pocket and has a strong arm.
“I don’t really worry about the recognition, because that’ll come with the game. As long as my guys are getting their looks and as long as I’m getting them the ball and we’re winning, I’m fine,” Shanklin said. “We’ve bonded as a team and become a true unit. We all trust each other. We just focus on ourselves. As long as we’re doing our jobs, we really don’t think anyone can hang with us.”
Cory Les salvaged some pride for St. Laurence with a fourth-down scoring run with 4:16 left in the third quarter to make it 37-7. Otherwise, senior quarterback Jimmy McDermott was under pressure all day, and the Vikings struggled to find any rhythm offensively.
Now, only Oak Park Fenwick stands between Sunkett’s Flyers and another championship.
“It’ll be two great teams. We’ve got to be ready for their best ball game,” Sunkett said. “But we’ll be ready.”
This story was originally published November 22, 2025 at 4:56 PM.