Why the Tigers were great: Before TV, high school football drew huge crowds. Sean King, Special to STLhighschoolsports.com, East St. Louis' Bryce Harrison (23) pressures Prairie Ridge's Tyler Vasey (7) during a state 6A championship game at Memorial Stadium in Champaign on Saturday, Nov 26, 2022. Having seen the triple option in last years 37-36 title game loss to Cary-Grove aided East St. Louis on Saturday. Why the Redhawks were great: Senior RB Ryan Clifford had perhaps the state's best individual season ever, rushing 301 times for 2,673 yards and 44 TDs. This week's top HS football teams in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Playing in the state championship game has been a way of life for the East St. Louis football Flyers since 1974. SKU: FCSC23SDSU. Just doing it for the city. Two unsung heroes led Joliet`s rally. The triple option has many benefits, but moving the ball over a long distance in a hurry is not one of them. TaRyan Martin shined as well running for 174 yards and three touchdowns. All in all, with title No. Menu. Maybe I just wanted to show we`ve got kids who can hit, too.''. East St. Louis players celebrate their victory over Prairie Ridge for the state 6A football championship at Memorial Stadium in Champaign on Saturday, Nov 26, 2022. This season's top HS football teams in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. The youth football standout was murdered in May of 2019 and the Flyers have carried his memory with them ever since. With fourth down on the 2, Andy Caris` 20-yard field goal, from an acute angle, was wide right. East St. Louis scores 57 unanswered points to win 10th state championship. Other stars included QB Mark Benson (Northwestern), DT Gavin Pearlman (Illinois) and RB Pat Milz, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards. Though their paths have separated since, the two teams still have some rough and tumble games.. More specifically, the Flyers averaged a whopping 13.9 yards per play, compared to just 3.5 for the Wolves. 8 in USA Today's national rankings. Vaseys 20-yard pass to freshman Luke Vandewell on 4th and 6 keyed the drive. Martin scored his second touchdown, this time from 8 yards, to put the Flyers ahead 15-7 with 11:19 to go in the second. Sean King, Special to STLhighschoolsports.com, East St. Louis' TaRyan Martin (6) Carries the ball for a touchdown against Prairie Ridge during a state 6A championship game at Memorial Stadium in Champaign on Saturday, Nov 26, 2022. Saturday also marked the 14th time in program history that the Flyers appeared in a state championship game. Likewise, Providence uses all its fingers to count its state championships and Joliet Catholic and Mount Carmel have to use some of their toes. Georgia smashed TCU, 65-7, when all was said and done. Why the Wildcats were great: RB LaMarr Thomas was an All-Stater in football and basketball, helping Thornton win the 1965 mythical football state championship and the 1966 hoops state title in the same school year. The coin toss was almost comical, the size difference, Schremp said. Vasey returned, ran four plays and the Wolves turned the ball over on downs. Two years of Flyers football during that period were the subject of a book, The Right Kind of Heroes . It felt amazing, just doing it for the city, Flyers senior Miles McVay said. Why the Falcons were great: The Falcons had many great teams under Rexilius, and stars including QBs Chuck Long and Kent Graham, but this was his most dominant squad. 1974: Glenbrook North-East St. Louis was a king waiting to be crowned. ST. LOUIS -- The story of the East St. Louis High Flyers' surprising run to the 2016 state football title isn't just a local narrative. The team averaged 10.7 per rushing attempt, with four backs averaging 100 or more yards per game behind a huge offensive line led by Keith Bruns, Joe Pieper and Gary Stajduhar. In the final two of those seasons, East outscored its opponents 526-93. Another thing is these guys are the first team since the 80s to make state three straight years and if it wasnt for covid, it would have been four (years).. They outscored their opponents 341-0 and allowed negative rushing yards for the season. Use our interactive seating charts and venue maps to find the best seats for you. The Flyers have qualified for three consecutive state championship games, the first East St. Louis program to tout that achievement since the team claimed two runner-up finishes and a 6A state . East St. Louis' 1985 champs probably would win a poll as the state's greatest team. The Flyers rolled to 57 unanswered points, picked up more than 200 yards of offense in both half and cruised to 28 points in the third quarter. They capped their undefeated season with a title in the inaugural state playoffs, and they also went undefeated the three seasons before. [1] It was featured in the Jonathan Kozol book Savage Inequalities. Martins second touchdown run this time from 6 yards out upped East St. Louis margin to 14-7 early in the second quarter. Is the Midtown Alley strip on Locust the next big thing for business? LB Mark Zavagnin played at Notre Dame, and QB Mark Strimel played at Purdue. Members of the East St. Louis Senior High Marching Band play on a flatbed truck as it rolls in a state championship football victory parade on State Street on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2019.. This years title, the 2019 title and the 2021 runner up finish were built in large part on the back of the Flyers offensive line. East Side sent the 6-foot-7 McVay, the 6-foot-5 Patterson and the 6-foot-3 Henderson out for the opening coin toss and they simply dwarfed their Prairie Ridge counterparts. Its the most points ever scored in a Class 6A title game, breaking the old record of 56 set by Naperville Central in 1999. On 11/26, the East St. Louis varsity football team won their neutral playoff game against Prairie Ridge (Crystal Lake, IL) by a score of 57-7. The 5-foot-11 and 168-pound Vasey rushed for a single-season state record of 3,776 yards and scored 52 touchdowns entering Saturdays title tilt. The Ramblers outscored their opponents 558-123, including 179-50 in the 8A playoffs and 164-42 in the tough-as-nails Catholic Blue. It was time for the Flyers defense to show what it could do. Robeson coach Roy Curry virtually scrounged the halls to suit up 28 players for the title game, which Guilford ended up winning 16-12. Illinois high school football state championship schedule and scores - live and final. If Prairie Ridge had any flicker of a comeback it was extinguished on the ensuing kickoff when Vasey received the kick and took a clean but hard hit that left him requiring attention from the teams trainer. Edwards. Sophomore running back TaRyan Martin and his five bodyguards made quick work of the Wolves defense as he ripped off a 34-yard touchdown run down the left side. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. St. Laurence lost four fumbles and had a punt blocked that bitter cold night. Both teams missed later scoring chances, setting up an overtime in which Glenbrook`s Greg Van Schaack bulled over from six inches out on fourth down. However, after the opening drive, East St. Louis did a strong job containing Vasey and the entire Prairie Ridge offense. "It felt amazing, just doing it for the city," Flyers senior Miles McVay said. They cruised all season until the final, when they needed two touchdowns in the final three minutes to overcome Sacred Heart-Griffin. Joliet wins one of the most exciting title games in history 8-7. With Glenbrook trailing 13-6 early in the fourth quarter, Don Broadbridge, who began his football career as a third-string quarterback on the freshman B team, threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to Sam Poulos. Stadler took over, whipsawing Deerfield downfield. The defense was led by brother LBs Gus (eight sacks) and Jon (seven) Olofsson. Why the Hawks were great: They won the first of their three straight 8A titles behind QB Charlie Goro, the Tribune's 2008 player of the year, and RB Matt Perez, who earned the honor in 2009. Battle found senior linebacker and tight end Antwon Jojo Hayden for a 2-point conversion to give East Side an 8-7 lead with 5:10 remaining in the first. He rushed for 539 yards and 12 TDs as a sophomore in 1999, 2,073 and 29 in 2000 and 2,340 and 37 in 2001. Playoff victory margin: 35.0 (Danville 44-0, Lockport 58-12, Sandburg 13-0, Buffalo Grove 33-7, Brother Rice 46-0). For years before and since, city schools were favorite whipping boys of suburban and Catholic League opposition. On 11/12, the East St. Louis varsity football team won their neutral playoff game against Crete-Monee (Crete, IL) by a score of 45-0. The Wolves, the No. Are there champions that lost a game or two that deserve to make the list? Those four programs probably deserve to have more than their nine combined entries here, but a list of 32 teams that includes 20 or so from the same four schools isn't quite in the spirit of this type of projects. Why the Flyers were great: They were led by future Illini All-American LB Dana Howard, QB Rollie Nevilles, RBs Chris Moore and LaGrant Suggs and WR Homer Bush, who would win a World Series as a utility player with the 1998 Yankees. Sophomore Sael Reyes interception near the end zone helped East St. Louis end the half with the 22-7 margin. 2 seed, wrapped up at 12-2 while seeing their nine-game winning streak snapped. WR/DB John Newton was one of three players to start for both teams. It was big. The No. They beat Tilden 46-13 in front of 95,000 fans at Soldier Field to win the Prep Bowl on Nov. 29, 1941, eight days before the bombing of Pearl Harbor. The East St. Louis Flyers went down early but then rolled for the rest of the game. Price passed for a third score five seconds before the end of the half. They finished No. They displayed offensive balance with 2,802 rushing yards and 2,799 passing yards, led by QB Emmett Clifford, RB Dara Laja and All-State brothers Sam and Jack Badovinac on the line. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune). Sean King, Special. 6 in USA Today's national rankings. The game was so far out of reach in the second half that there was more attention being paid to the food at SoFi . McHugh, Carey and FB Dan Shannon were named All-Americans, and OL Ted Cachey would be a captain at Michigan. East St. Louis also defeated Prairie Ridge 43-21 in the 2019 title game. QB Mark Venegoni passed for 1,629 yards and 15 TDs and rushed for 782 and 17 but missed the championship game with an injury. Georgia quarterback. 1 was to prove it. They didn't win by fewer than 20 points until the final, when they won their second straight 7A title and seventh overall. The next two drives were stopped by a penalty and a costly sack. Why the Saukees were great: Taking a team this talented and putting it in 1970s rural western Illinois turned out to be quite unfair. Montini scored 10 touchdowns in the 2010 Class 5A game for the overall mark. Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham will coach the National Team. he latest guest on my weekly 20 Minutes podcast is East St. Louis head coach and athletic director Darren Sunkett. The school serves about 1,438 students in grades 9 to 12 in the East Saint Louis Public Schools district. It took three seasons before a squad from the league emerged with the top trophy in Class 5A, and to do it, the undefeated Vikings had to go overtime to win 22-21 and avert a gallant upset bid by Glenbard West. Playoff victory margin: 30.6 points (Rich East 60-6, Champaign Centennial 43-6, Kankakee 46-6, Richards 17-0, Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin 22-17). After getting a stop, the Flyers then embarked on a 95-yard drive that chewed up most of the second quarter. That kicked off the mercy rule running clock the rest of the game. The 1937 city championship is legendary for packing an estimated 120,000 about 45,000 over capacity into Soldier Field to see Austin defeat Leo 26-0 on Nov. 28. Andy Bebar scored from the 7 with 6:27 left and Tom Seneker used Moore`s crunching block to score the go-ahead two-point conversion. CHAMPAIGN Darren Sunkett picked ice chips out of the hood of his sweatshirt Saturday. Their six Division I players included QB Shawn Lazier, the coach's son. They finished No. Six players played both ways. Photographer Chris Johns has posted a new gallery Prairie Ridge vs. East St. Louis (IHSA 6A Final) containing 29 photos. We let them down last year. The guys came out from January until June and worked their butts off, Sunkett said. BenFred: Cardinals could still use rotation boost, but Trevor Bauer should be non-starter, BenFred: Why day one of Cardinals Winter Warm-up felt like a letdown, Autopsy: Teen killed by police at north St. Louis gas station was shot 18 times, How does Cardinals Lars Nootbaar build on breakout 22? Battles 16-yard run on 3rd and 15 helped extend the drive. They kept plugging away.. As far as the program goes, its all about numbers and it means number 10 in program history. The next day, 4,188 watched the Bears play the Cleveland Rams at Wrigley Field. The Flyers, perhaps the finest team in state history, scored three times in the final 3:56 of the second period to open the floodgates. East St. Louis' stats have been entered for the 32-29 win vs. Lemont on 11/19/2022 2:00 PM. The 1912 team put up a point differential of 431-17, again with eight shutouts. From 1976 to the beginning of the 1995 season, the Flyers' coach was Bob Shannon. Why the Ramblers were great: They finally broke through for the program's first state title since 1993 after years of close calls. With Vasey on the sideline Prairie Ridge ran three plays and punted. They won their five playoff games by a combined score of 194-19 and punted a total of 10 times in 14 games. The next year's team extended the Bulldogs' win streak to 28 behind QB John Rutkowski. Senior quarterback Tyler Vasey entered the game with an IHSA record 3,776 yards and 58 touchdowns on 317 carries this fall. Marek, Lick and Norwick all played at Wisconsin. 7 in USA Today's national rankings. Playoff victory margin: 31.2 points (Lane 42-0, Sandburg 54-14, Naperville Central 40-26, Downers Grove North 38-6, Barrington 42-14). One bobble set up an early field goal and the last lost fumble stopped the Vikings on the Glenbard West 13 with 38 seconds left in regulation. But there are simply too many great teams. In their previous Prep Bowl playoff games they defeated St. Rita 39-6 and Leo 34-6. Think of this as the Terrific 32 all-time playoff bracket. Talent-wise, we obviously met our match, Wolves coach Chris Schremp said. RB Tim McHugh, an All-American, rushed for 1,198 yards and 18 TDs. Battle connected with senior Antwon Hayden for the two-point conversion and an 8-7 lead. Why the Celtics were great: They were the middle team of an undefeated three-peat with 1994 (5A) and 1996 (4A) that along with 1997's team won a large-school-record 50 straight games, the most in Illinois since the IHSA playoffs began in 1974. It was a masterful performance a year after he felt utterly responsible for the Flyers one-point championship game loss. Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Geneva falls short of first championship bid", "East St. Louis' Miles faces fantastic future", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=East_St._Louis_Senior_High_School&oldid=1104998664, Basketball (men's & women's), Football, Wrestling, Volleyball (men's & womens) Cheerleading, Track & Field (men's & women's), Baseball, Softball, Tennis, This page was last edited on 18 August 2022, at 00:20. Putting the clamps on Prairie Ridges triple option attack fueled the Flyers victory. The story of East St. Louis (Ill.) High's football team might feel familiar: An athletic program thrives in an afflicted community, providing its players with a foundation of strength and a. Playoff victory margin: 25.8 (East Moline United 53-27, Pekin 41-0, Sandburg 14-13, Conant 36-22, Thornton 55-8). The 6-foot and 170-pound signal caller hit junior receiver Jesse Watson for a 27-yard touchdown to push the lead to 29-7 with 8:43 in the third. East St. Louis Dejerrian Miller (17) reacts after catching a pass against Prairie Ridge. Football - St. Louis Rams Football - Tampa Bay Buccaneers. RBs Bob Hanlon and Robert Kelly went on to play for Notre Dame's 1943 national champions. "The United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois and its affiliated agencies today proudly recognized . East Side sophomore receiver Christopher Bennett Jr. capped the Flyers ensuing 56-yard drive with a 13-yard touchdown run for a 43-7 lead. The Flyers from the year before might finish second, and the team before that might rank third.. Its a great feeling, said East St. Louis coach Darren Sunkett, who captured his third state title with the Flyers. This is what we live for., Added offensive lineman Miles McVay, a University of Alabama commit, It felt amazing. East St. Louis offense also was virtually unstoppable, amassing 569 yards to go with the 57 points. When they have D-I talent up and down the lineup and right now we dont even have a kid that is going to play in college, the matchup is tough.. By Jonathan Duncan Doctors later determined. Sean King, Special to STLhighschoolsports.com, East St. Louis' Dejerrian Miller (17) signals for a first down after catching a pass against Prairie Ridge's Drake Tomasiewicz (3) during a state 6A championship game at Memorial Stadium in Champaign on Saturday, Nov 26, 2022. Marek left as the Badgers' all-time rushing leader, and Lick was a starter for six seasons with the Bears. He could start with Team Japan. The Flyers secured the 10th state football title in program history by virtue of a 57-7 win against Prairie Ridge in the IHSA Class 6A championship game Saturday at Memorial Stadium on the. Congratulations to Rico Bond, Robert (Pops) Battle and Dominic Dixon for being selected the East St. Louis players of the game. Saturday's 57-7 drubbing against Prairie Ridge - one of the state's premiere triple-option teams - to win the Class 6A state championship should silence any doubters. Here are a few things to share about our selection process before you dive in: 1. Why the Corsairs were great: They rushed for 4,196 yards behind "The Great Wall of Carmel," an offensive line led by Dan Osterhout (6-2, 280), Drew Cairo-Gross (6-3, 295) and Luke Krombach (6-4, 255). Glenbard stunned a frigid crowd in 11-degree weather at Hancock Stadium by taking a 9-0 lead in the first quarter against a team that shut out nine teams and hadn`t given up a point in three tourney games. East St. Louis received the kickoff to start the third quarter and while it mixed in Martin, Battle showcased his accuracy. The final in what may have been one of the biggest upsets in state championship history: 1981: Joliet Catholic-More than 20,000 fans in Dyche Stadium saw the collision between two undefeated teams, and when Joliet Catholic coach Gordon Gillespie said after the Class 5A victory over Deerfield, ''We have the best team in Illinois,'' few could argue. Free shipping for many products! Their other stars included RB Larry Snoddy, QB Butch Mech, FB Mark Callanan,DE Ray Jakubiak, LB JenkinsDavis and linemen Clarence Kennedy, William Murphy, Rick Jones and Joe Banasiak. Cole Caufield among NHL's best goal scorers since Martin St. Louis became Montreal Canadiens coach - TSN.ca Sports TSN+ Video EDGE The Shift BARDOWN More Live Sign In NHL News Video Scores. Congratulations to Taryan Martin, Keshawn Hayden and Rico Bond for being selected the East St. Louis players of the game. Why the Caravan were great: Mount Carmel capped its undefeated season with a 17-6 win over Joliet Catholic in the 5A title game, holding the Hilltoppers to 183 yards, all on the ground. Battle excelled in the passing game going 10-for-12 with 207 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. It just wasnt going to happen again.. St. Laurence`s Ernie Wulff, a second-string fullback, scored from the 7 to tie the game and Matt Oskalunas kicked the extra point to win it. 5 nationally. Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items. The Mustangs won Prep Bowl 18-12 over Morgan Park behind 178 yards from Marek, who rushed for 27 TDs as senior and 3,000-plus yards in three years. loud single in extra innings makes Benilde-St. Margaret's the Class 3A champ; By RON HAGGSTROM . Sean King, Special to STLhighschoolsports.com. How about a great team that ran into another great team in a great game during the playoffs? The reason he was so effective? In 2008, en route to the Flyers' first state championship under Sunkett, an East St. Louis player collapsed on the sideline during a game against Collinsville. 4. Playoff victory margin: 31.8 points (Prosser 61-0, McHenry 42-23, Richards 49-20, Rock Island 39-0, Joliet Catholic 17-6). I cant say enough about our group of guys. We let the city down last year. 1998 - 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved. They finished No. Jimmie Spraggins` 68-yard punt return in the first quarter and Tim Spencer`s 11-yard burst in the third quarter gave the Raiders a 12-9 lead. That`s where linebacker Jack Moller came in. RB Dave Matichak, QB Mark Morel and future Bears lineman Tom Thayer led the offense, and defensive standouts included DL John Piazza and DBs Paul Carberry and Tim Tyrell. This story was originally published November 26, 2022 5:34 PM. We had all 11 guys keying on him.. RB Mike Mentz and QB Mike Budde led the offense, with LBs Rory Steinbach and Matt Eggert and DBs Mark Reiter and Gannon leading the defense. The number 10 sure has a nice ring to it. The five guys in front of me work hard every day, he said. Prairie Ridges Tyler Vasey (7) looks on after taking second place in the IHSA Class 6A state football game against East St. Louis.