The East St. Louis Flyers opened their highly anticipated football season by making a bold statement in Central Illinois.
The Flyers defeated Chicago Mount Carmel 42-23 on Saturday night in a showdown featuring the two most storied football programs in the state of Illinois. A huge crowd turned out at Hancock Stadium on the campus of Illinois State University in Normal to see these two nationally-ranked programs.
Trailing 23-14 entering the fourth quarter, the Flyers reeled off 28 unanswered points to stun the Caravan and break its 19-game winning streak. Mount Carmel entered the season having won four consecutive IHSA state championships. The Caravan won the Class 8A state title last year after winning three consecutive Class 7A state championships.
Senior Ronnie Gomiller was the catalyst for the East St. Louis offense in the fourth quarter. Gomiller, a standout wide receiver, moved to running back when senior star Myson Johnson-Cook left the game at halftime with an injury. Gomiller scored three rushing touchdowns in the fourth quarter on runs of 13, 5 and 30 yards. He scored on a 16-yard pass reception from quarterback Reece Shanklin in the second quarter, giving him four touchdowns on the night.
The second half featured two big swings of momentum. The first swing came in the third quarter when Mount Carmel blocked a punt for a safety, taking a 16-14 lead. Junior Marshaun Thornton returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown to give the Caravan a 23-14 lead.
East St. Louis responded to Mount Carmel’s 16-0 run with it’s 28-0 explosion in the fourth quarter to secure the win. In addition to Gomiller’s three touchdowns, the Flyers’ defense also forced three turnovers. The final turnover came when senior cornerback Raheem Floyd returned an interception 40 yards for a touchdown, sealing the game and the Flyers’ dominating fourth quarter.
The Flyers will travel to Florida on Friday night to take on American Heritage in the Broward County National Football Showcase.
Very impressive come from behind victory by the Flyers. I’ll be keeping an eye on their upcoming game down in Florida.
It was a great football game. Star running back got injured but the flyers had alot of heart and ever 1 stepped up and pulled it out.