The East St. Louis Flyers have their sights on defending their Illinois Class 6A state championship.
The Flyers took their first step last Friday night with an impressive 63-7 victory over visiting Plainfield East in a first-round playoff game at Clyde C. Jordan Stadium.
On a team full of big-play athletes, it was junior Ronnie McMiller’s turn to shine on this night. The speedy wide receiver was a star on special teams as he returned three punts for touchdowns, which yielded a state record. McMiller scored on punt returns of 88, 80 and 41 yards. His 88-yard return opened the scoring and got the Flyers off and running.
Junior quarterback Reese Shanklin engineered the offensive attack by throwing three touchdown passes. He threw scoring passes to senior Indiana recruit Kortez Rupert, Amir Tillman and Jamarion Flowers.
East St. Louis (7-3) will go on the road for its second round game, where they will face undefeated Chatham-Glenwood.
The Flyers’ three losses have come on the road against nationally-ranked teams IMG Academy in Florida, Bishop Gorman in Las Vegas and Bergen Catholic in New Jersey. In their six victories on the field, the Flyers are averaging 57 points a game while their defense has given up a total of only 26 points. The seventh victory came on a forfeit against Gadsden County from Florida.
Missouri District Semifinals on Top
On the Missouri side, district semifinal games will be held this weekend around the state. Here are a few of the top matchups this weekend. To see all of the matchups and brackets, visit the website www.mshsaa.org.
SLUH at Lafayette, Friday, 7 p.m. – Class 6, District 2
Summit at Eureka, Friday, 7 p.m. – Class 5, District 2
Lutheran North at Gateway STEM, Friday, 7 p.m. – Class 4, District 3
University City at Orchard Farm, Friday, 7 p.m. – Class 4, District 4
Ladue at Hazelwood East, Friday, 7 p.m. – Class 5, District 3
First Round Playoff Standouts
Junior running back Machai Henderson of Cahokia rushed for 139 yards on 24 carries and three touchdowns in the Comanches 44-24 victory over Centralia.
Junior quarterback Tra’Vren Williams of North Point completed 24 of 34 passes for 348 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 72 yards and two touchdowns in the Grizzlies’ 40-0 victory over Fort Zumwalt South.
Junior running back Donald Collier Jr. of Cahokia rushed for 124 yards on 20 carries and three touchdowns in the Comanches’ 44-24 victory over Centralia.
Senior quarterback Gabe Rodriguez of DeSmet completed 21 of 26 passes for 280 yards and two touchdowns in the Spartans’ 63-17 victory over Marquette.
Sophomore quarterback Marquavion Jackson of Hazelwood West rushed for 63 yards and a touchdown and passed for 128 yards and a touchdown in the Wildcats’ 28-7 victory over Francis Howell North.
Senior running back Elijah Fox of St. Charles West rushed for 218 yards on 18 carries and three touchdowns in the Warriors’ 43-8 victory over Winfield.
Senior wide receiver Jalen Cotton of University City had four receptions for 119 yards and a touchdown in the Lions’ 46-0 victory over Lutheran-St. Charles.
Senior running back Aaron Peyton of Francis Howell Central rushed for 132 yards on 32 carries and a touchdown in the Spartans’ 14-0 victory over Fort Zumwalt West.
Senior quarterback Brett Ottensmeyer of Parkway West completed 20 of 24 passes for 271 yards and four touchdowns in the Longhorns’ 49-13 victory over Parkway Central.