he East St. Louis Flyers and the Belleville West Maroons both have a lot on the line for Saturday’s Southwestern Conference showdown at Clyde C. Jordan Stadium. It is a 1 p.m. kick-off for the Homecoming queen and her court.
Both the Flyers and Maroons fans have had this date circled for some time now. Belleville West is currently 6-1 while the Flyers are 4-3 and riding a three-game winning streak.
A win by the Maroons will assure them of a better seed when the IHSA playoff pairings are announced in two weeks. However, a loss by the Flyers will put them in danger of not making the playoffs. I say that because the Flyers have played a schedule where 5-4 MIGHT get them in. Plus, they have to beat Collinsville in their final game.
A victory by East Side will keep coach Darren Sunkett’s “one game at a time” approach intact and make his team one of the most dangerous units when the Class 6A state pairings come out next week.
Also on the line are bragging rights between the two cities, and the bell. It is a tradition that goes back over 50 years, and there is plenty of talking from Belleville West fans that their program is now better than East Side’s.
Really?!
The Maroons do have plenty of players familiar with the City of Champions athletic tradition in East St. Louis. In fact, a lot of the black players’ parents for Belleville West will have no problem finding their way to Jordan Stadium. Some might be within walking distance.
The Maroons come into this Southwestern Conference showdown with only one loss – to league champion Edwardsville Tigers, 45-14, on the Maroons’ Homecoming night. Belleville West would no doubt enjoy ruining the Flyers’ festivities on Saturday in the “House Of Pain.”
The Maroons are coming off an impressive bounce-back game after the Edwardsville loss, having thumped the Collinsville Kahoks last Friday, 41-20. Antione Davis and reserve quarterback Brian Hill combined for six touchdowns in the win. Hill replaced injured Belleville West starting stand-out quarterback Sherand Boyd, who suffered a knee injury in the Edwardsville game.
Meanwhile, the East St. Louis Flyers (4-3 overall, 3-2 in SWC play) have won three in a row and have chance to get a signature win against one of the state’s top Class 7A teams. They are led by a stingy defense and freshman wide out Jeff Thomas, Kyron Watson, Dominic Nelson and Greg Taylor on offense. This team has the talent to run the table all the way to Champaign, IL Thanksgiving weekend for the IHSA state championship.
Darren Sunkett’s Flyers should shut up the people and fans who jumped off the team’s bandwagon after consecutive losses to 5-A power Lombard Montini, Edwardsville and O’Fallon a month ago. I have witnessed some of the fans who were not supporting the team during the losing streak. You know who you are and the stripes and colors you wear.
The Flyers have no worries this week: ESL 27, Belleville West 16.
