The East St. Louis Flyers continued their challenging national schedule on Friday night by hosting Georgia state power Gainesville High.
In a game that was close from start to finish, the Flyers came away with a 24-21 victory over the Peach State powerhouse in front of a raucous crowd at Clyde C. Jordan Stadium in East St. Louis. The Flyers improved to 2-1 on the season.
During the first two weeks of the season, the Flyers have been able to showcase its potent offense and stout defense. On Friday night, it was the special teams that came to the forefront.
Junior kicker Austin Wilkinson booted three field goals from 35, 38 and 45 yards. The Flyers also blocked a punt out of the end zone for a safety in the first quarter. On the ensuing kickoff, senior Ronnie Gomiller returned the kick 70 yards, which set up one of Wilkinson’s field goals.
Gomiller, a Cincinnati recruit, continued his torrid start to the season by scoring two more touchdowns on receptions of 81 and 25 yards from quarterback Reece Shanklin. Freshman running back Chris Jackson did some hard running as he has stepped into a starting role after an injury to star Auburn recruit Myson Johnson-Cook.
East St. Louis’ two victories this season have come against Gainesville and Chicago Mount Carmel. Their only defeat came last week in a 35-28 overtime loss to American Heritage in Florida. It was a game where the Flyers rallied from a 28-7 deficit in the fourth quarter to force overtime.
The Flyers will host O’Fallon next Friday night to open play in the Southwestern Conference.