The East St. Louis Flyers were rolling toward a state title last season but were upended by a solid Cary-Grove team in the state championship game. The Flyers are determined to finish the job in 2022 and have steamrolled through three opponents on the way to the state semifinals.
East St. Louis (10-2) will travel North on Saturday to take on undefeated LaMont (12-0) on Saturday in the state semifinals. Kickoff is at 2 p.m. The winner of Saturday’s game will play Chicago St. Ignatius or Crystal Lake Prairie Ridge for the state championship on Saturday, November 26 in Champaign.
In three playoff games, the Flyers have been dominant on both sides of the ball, outscoring their opposition 146-0. That’s right, the Flyers have yet to be scored upon in the playoffs. They defeated Oak Lawn Richards 71-0 in the first round, Normal Community West 40-0 in the second round, and Crete Monee 45-0 in last Saturday’s state quarterfinals.
The Flyers defense was especially dominant against Crete Monee as they registered eight quarterback sacks. Antwon Hayden and Keandre McClendon had two sacks each while standouts Keshon Hayden and Dominic Dixon also had a sack. Sophomore Sael Reyes also scored on a 52-yard interception return.
Dixon, a junior linebacker, has a team-high 107 solo tackles and 10 quarterback sacks. Senior linebacker Marquise Palmer has registered five sacks. The Hayden brothers have been constants throughout the past two seasons on defense while Reyes and junior Jaion Jackson have combined for nine interceptions.
Junior quarterback Robert Battle has been the leader of the Flyers’ offense for the second consecutive year. Battle has passed for 1,892 yards and 21 touchdowns while rushing for 648 yards and 10 touchdowns. Sophomore running back TyRyan Martin has rushed for 1,033 yards and 17 touchdowns. Fellow sophomore Larevious Woods has rushed for 761 yards and 13 touchdowns.
*Class 6 semis are set
This weekend’s Class 6 state semifinals have turned into the St. Louis vs. Kansas City challenge.
CBC will travel West to take on Liberty North on Saturday at 1 p.m. while Lee’s Summit North will come to St. Louis to take on DeSmet on Friday at 7 p.m. The winners will meet for the state championship on Saturday, November 26 at Faurot Field on the campus of the University of Missouri. Kickoff is at 4 p.m.
CBC is seeking a third consecutive state championship. Saturday’s game at Liberty North is a rematch of last year’s state championship game, which the Cadets won 48-21. CBC won the District 1 championship last week with a 42-7 victory over Marquette while Liberty North defeated Park Hill 34-7.
DeSmet is looking to get back into a state championship game for the first time in three seasons. The Spartans defeated Rock Bridge 45-20 to win the District 2 championship. The Spartans are currently 7-5, but they have played against one of the toughest schedules in the state. They have suffered losses to such powerhouse teams as East St. Louis, CBC, St. Mary’s, and IMG Academy. DeSmet is led by dual-threat quarterback Christian Cotton, who has passed for 1,616 yards and 14 touchdowns while rushing for 1,078 yards and 17 touchdowns.
District championship player highlights
*Running back Jeremiyah Love of CBC rushed for 139 yards on 11 carries and three touchdowns in a 42-7 victory over Marquette.
*Senior Brady Hultman of Francis Howell scored three rushing touchdowns in the Vikings’ 42-7 victory over Fort Zumwalt North
*Quarterback Christian Cotton of DeSmet rushed for 188 yards on 17 carries and two touchdowns in the Spartans’ 44-21 victory over Rock Bridge.
*Running back Amorion Oliphant of Duchesne rushed for three touchdowns on runs on 71, 6 and 35 yards in the Pioneers’ 37-18 victory over Brentwood.
*Quarterback A.J. Raines of Timberland passed for 253 yards and two touchdown and rushed for 188 yards and a touchdown in the T’Wolves 41-24 victory over Helias.
*State Quarterfinals upcoming
Class 5
Cape Girardeau Central at MICDS, Saturday, 1 p.m.
Grain Valley at Ft. Osage, Friday, 7 p.m.
Francis Howell at Timberland, Friday, 7 p.m.
Carthage at Lebanon, Saturday, 2 p.m.
Class 4
Hillsboro at St. Mary’s, Saturday, 1 p.m.
Center at Smithville, Saturday, 1 p.m.
Parkway Central at St. Dominic, Saturday, 1 p.m.
Hannibal at West Plains, Friday, 7 p.m.
Class 3
Cardinal Ritter at Park Hills Central, Saturday, 1 p.m.
Pleasant Hill at Maryville, Saturday, 1 p.m.
St. Charles West at Sullivan, Friday, 7 p.m.
Reeds Spring at Boonville, Saturday, 1 p.m.
Class 2
Blair Oaks vs. Lift for Life at Cardinal Ritter, Saturday, 1 p.m.
Bowling Green at Lafayette County, Saturday, 1 p.m.
Mt. View Liberty at Seneca, Friday, 1 p.m.
Lamar at Holden, Saturday, 1 p.m.
Class 1
Portageville vs. Duchesne, Saturday, 1 p.m.
East Buchanan at Gallatin, Saturday, 1 p.m.
Marionville at Adrian, Saturday, 1 p.m.
Lincoln at Monroe City, Saturday, 1 p.m.
