By the time East St. Louis Flyers senior running back Courtney Molton finishes his career, his named will be mentioned in the same breath with the great tailbacks in Flyers’ history.
The list of great tailbacks who come from the great city of East St. Louis is almost endless. Among the great ones are Terry Hill, Chris Moore, Damein Nash, Jerome Heavens, (Assumption) Clint Sims (Lincoln) Marvin Lampkin, Terry Kirby, Michael Cox, Lagrant and Darren Suggs, Jason Ford, Sr., Marceo Haywood, Kevin Beard and so many more. You get the picture.
I think you can now add Courtney Molton’s name to that list. You all know that I have a special spot in my heart for “little guy”, and Molton fits the bill nicely.
On a gorgeous afternoon last Saturday, Molton didn’t dissapoint the overflow crowd against the Southwestern Conference rival Belleville East as he rushed for 279 yards. In addition, had scoring runs of 35 and 9 yards respectively to lead East Side to a 35-7 victory.
But it’s not only the yardage that’s so impressive about Molton. It’s also the manner which the senoir All- State tailback approaches the game that makes him so special.
“He is one of the most complete backs for his size that I have seen in a long time. It’s hard to get a good hit on him. If he continues to show that kind of toughness, the sky is the limit for this kid,” said one college recruiter who was in attendence at a recent East Side game.
The senior tailback has rushed for 1,344 yards for the 5-2 (5-0 SWC) Flyers who have won 29 straight conference games. They can win another Southwestern Conference title tomorrow night, as the ‘Greatest Show On New Turf” takes it’s high flying act to Collinsville on Friday night. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. The game can be heard on 1380-KSLG with yours truly doing the play-by-play.
Molton, who has been offered scholarships by several Division I schools including Kansas State and Arizona, credits his offensive line for all of his success.
” If it wasn’t for the line up front, I wouldn’t be able to obain the yards I get,” he said. “Football is a team sport, and I’m just a small part of the big picture. East St. Louis Senior winning the State Championship, that’s our goal every year at East Side. Individual honors come with winning”
The Flyers are currently ranked No. 1 in the state with old rival Chicago St. Rita lurking on the horizon for with a possible third-round rematch in the playoffs again looming. East Side defeated St. Rita 35-28 in a classic matchup in the state quarterfinals last year at Jordan Stadium.
Get ready Flyers’ fan. The leaves are turning colors and there’s a chill in the air. That means the IHSA 2009 Football Playoffs are coming soon.
Anybody ready for Thanksgiving dinner with me in Champaign again this year?
Let’s load up the party bus, because the Flyers are getting ready to roll…………………………
(Maurice Scott can be heard on “From the East Side: The Radio Show” every day on The New WESL-AM 1490 from 4-6 p.m.).
