East St. Louis gets little resistance in advancing to Illinois 6A championship game

East St. Louis’ romp through the IHSA Class 6A football postseason continued Saturday with a decisive 48-0 Class 6A semifinal victory at home against Oak Lawn Richards at Clyde C. Jordan Stadium.

The top-seeded Flyers — who scored on the third play of the game — improved to 12-1 and now are one win from their 11th state championship. East St. Louis also advances to its fifth-consecutive state title game.

“We knew the job we had to do,” said Flyers coach Darren Sunkett, whose team previously defeated Oak Lawn Richards 54-0 in the 2021 playoffs and 71-0 in the 2022 playoffs. “We came out here and played well as a group. It was a group effort, and I couldn’t be more proud of these guys. We’ve got one more game, and we’re looking for to these guys playing the same way next weekend.”

East St. Louis will face No. 3 Geneva in the state title game at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 30, at Hancock Stadium on the campus of Illinois State University. The third-seeded Vikings (12-1) advanced to state by defeating Cary-Grove 28-26 on Saturday.

Sunkett’s team defeated Geneva 33-14 in the 2008 title game.

“I haven’t seen Geneva since 2008,” he said. “They were a great team back then and from what I hear they’re once again a great team. They wouldn’t be a great team if they weren’t playing next year. We’re definitely looking forward to facing them.”

East St. Louis is confident facing Geneva, but also knows the Vikings will present a stern test, especially in light of defeating Cary-Grove, which defeated the Flyers 23-20 in the 2023 title game.

“I just know they’re disciplined,” sophomore wide receiver Ronnie Gomiller said. “It’s not easy to beat Cary-Grove, so for them to come out on top, they’ve got to be very disciplined.”

Junior outside linebacker Keandre McClendon is elated about returning to state and expects to come home with the hardware.

“It feels great,” he said. “I’ve been here before so there’s not too much pressure on us. We’ve been dialed in real good, locked in, doing things over and over … practice makes perfect.

“We’re going to bring home a state championship, and it’s going to feel very special.”

Added Gomiller about returning to state, “It feels good. The first time I went to state, I didn’t get to play because I was injured. This is a great opportunity for us. All around, this was a Flyers football game today. Everybody played 100 percent.”

Senior quarterback Kendrick Lyons keyed the Flyers’ attack, completing 11-of-16 passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns. He completed passes to six different receivers.

Senior running back TaRyan Martin also shined, finishing with 148 rushing yards and two touchdowns, including scores of 43 and 65 yards. He caught a touchdown pass as well.

East St. Louis’ defense also dominated again, allowing just three first downs, one of which was aided by a penalty. The Bulldogs only crossed midfield once.

On special teams, sophomore Reece Shanklin drilled six extra points and boomed several long kickoffs. The only failed PAT was on a mishandled snap. Moreover, the Flyers dominated in all three facets and now have outscored their four playoff foes a combined 221-14.

“It’s just hard work,” Sunkett said “Our guys come to school every day. Come practice time, these guys are focused and they’re dialed in, and they’re just ready to take instructions from their coaches. These guys have been doing that for the past 13 weeks.”

The Bulldogs, meanwhile, saw their season end at 11-2. Oak Lawn coach Tony Sheehan praised the Flyers, while also noting his team’s outstanding campaign.

“They’re a good team and a good program,” Sheehan said. “We wanted to try to slow things down and keep the ball away from them, but that didn’t work out very well. But we had a great year. We fought our way to the semis. I’m very proud of these kids. East St. Louis is just a terrific football team.”

Lyons’s 44-yard touchdown pass to Kortez Rupert on the game’s third play set the tone and staked East St. Louis to a quick 6-0 lead. Shanklin added the point after.

“Any game it’s important to get off to a great start,” Sunkett said. “We came in here focused today and did the job we were supposed to do.”

Larevious “Fresh” Woods’ 7-yard touchdown run with 3:29 left in the first quarter, coupled with Shanklin’s point after, built the lead to 14-0. Lyons’s 21-yard screen pass to junior Armaad Sharp keyed the drive.

Sophomore Amir Tilman’s 9-yard touchdown run with 23 seconds left in the opening quarter extended the lead to 20-0. Shanklin again hit the extra point. Junior Royce Searcy’s 15-yard run helped set up the TD.

Lyons’s 14-yard scoring strike to Martin with 5:59 left in the half ballooned the lead to 27-0. Shanklin made the extra point.

In the second half, Martin added touchdown runs of 43 yards and 65 yards, while Woods posted another rushing score.

All in all, according to Sunkett, the Flyers’ outstanding campaign and quest for a state crown is the culmination of months of hard work.

“There’s no better feeling,” Sunkett said. “You work your butt off from the winter offseason conditioning to the summer conditioning and from August to now. We’re definitely excited and looking forward to the opportunity to play next weekend.”