East St. Louis pits ‘all gas, no brakes’ offense against Fenwick, snowy forecast
All gas, no brakes.
That is the motto of the East St. Louis Flyers football team, which will compete for a second straight Class 6A state championship Saturday at Hancock Stadium on the Bloomington campus of Illinois State, against Oak Park Fenwick.
The Flyers are a team that has a need for speed, but a forecast of a possible eight to 10 inches of snow for Saturday may test how this Flyers team can play in wet, cold, slippery conditions.
The thing about the Flyers is, with their size on the line on both sides of the ball, they probably can muck it up with the best of them. East St. Louis likes the grittier aspects of football, too, and Fenwick Friars coach Matt Battaglia knows his team is up against one of the state’s most historic and best programs that will be going for a second straight state title and third in the last four years.
“They’re a great powerhouse in the state, and have had the kind of success that we aspire to as well,” Battaglia said Tuesday morning. “We’re not unfamiliar with doubters, but we’ve had them all through these playoffs pretty much, and we’re the ones playing Saturday.”
Flyers (9-3) coach Darren Sunkett will try to get his sixth state title, and the school’s twelfth overall. The Friars (10-3) won the Class 5A state title in 2021 under Battaglia, the school’s only championship.
Asked how this year’s team compares to some of his previous title teams, Sunkett said he’d rather not compare.
“Each team is different,” he said. “This is definitely a great team. These guys are well-balanced offensively and we’ve got a very stingy defense. And, our specialty teams have gotten a whole lot better this year than in the past. It’s just one of those things where, hopefully, they finish the job.”
While the Flyers lost three games this season, they were all against out-of-state, nationally ranked opponents. Against in-state opponents, the Flyers have outscored teams 499-40 in nine games.
The Flyers are huge up front on both sides of the line of scrimmage, with several players topping 300 pounds. They have a junior quarterback, Reece Shanklin, who plays a disciplined game and has top-flight receivers to throw to, including incoming Indiana commit Kortez Rupert.
In the backfield, the Flyers have four-star prospect Myson Johnson-Cook, who ran for four touchdowns in last week’s 50-7 win over St. Laurence in the semifinals. Cook has a short list of 12 college teams – all top-ranked schools – to choose from, and he said he’ll make his decision this summer.
Running backs Ahmad Coleman (three scoring runs last weekend) and Amir Tillman both have breakaway speed. But, on a snowy field, footing could be a problem.
The Friars are led by two-way running back and defender Jake Thies, who ran for 1,192 yards on 143 carries (8.3 average) and 14 touchdowns. Quarterback Jamen Williams has had a great season, completing 178 of 266 passes for 2,484 yards, 26 touchdowns, and only two interceptions. Receiver Raphiel Stewart caught 33 passes for 700 and seven touchdowns.
The Friars just haven’t turned the ball over much, losing only four fumbles all season, and three interceptions overall.
“I’m a true believer that whichever team can run the ball better, and stop the run, is usually the winner,” Battaglia said. “Coming off such an emotional win (28-27 against Nazareth) last week, I wondered if maybe the attitude of the kids might be, ‘We just had our state final’, but we had a meeting (Monday) and I was impressed with their focus for the week ahead.”
Said Sunkett, “We’ve got to really prepare for those guys and be ready to get their best ball game.”
