For the second week in a row, East St. Louis advances with dominating playoff shutout

The IHSA Class 6A quarterfinals beckons for East St. Louis’ football team.

The top-seeded Flyers rolled past No. 8 Normal West 48-0 in a second-round game played during a steady rain at Clyde C. Jordan Stadium Saturday.

East St. Louis dominated in all facets, including a defense that allowed just two first downs and did not allow Normal West to pass midfield. Through two playoff games, the Flyers have allowed just three first downs and zero points.

“The defense is going to keep carrying us all the way to the state championship,” senior center Shamon Hamilton said. “They’ve picked it up at the right time and have been playing lights out the whole season. And they’re going to keep doing it.

“I feel like we played great. We came out with energy and finished with a lot of energy.”

Added junior outside linebacker Keandre McClendon, “I was very happy with how the team played today. Grind-grind-grind … all we did was grind this week. We were lights out. We gave it 100% and played until the end of the game, all four quarters.”

East St. Louis improved to 10-1 and now will visit No. 5 seed Chatham Glenwood (9-2) on the road in the quarterfinals. The Titans defeated No. 13 seed Oak Forest 42-21 in a second round game Saturday. The IHSA will announce the time and date of the quarterfinal round in the next day or two.

The Flyers defeated Springfield 67-0 in a first-round game.

“We’ll watch film during the week, and we’ll know what we’re doing,” Hamilton said. “We’re going to prepare for the game, just like we did this week.”

If East St. Louis defeats Chatham Glenwood, the Flyers will host the semifinal game.

Saturday’s outcome marked the third-straight year East St. Louis ended the Wildcats’ season. In 2022, the Flyers defeated Normal West 40-0 before posting a 54-7 victory last season.

“I thought we played well,” East St. Louis coach Darren Sunkett said. “We had a little inclement weather, but the kids played through it. We played, I thought, four good quarters of football on both sides of the ball. Hats off to our guys and we’re moving on.”

The Wildcats, who entered the second-round on a six-game winning streak, finished the campaign at 8-3. All in all, Normal West’s fight Saturday and the season pleased coach Nathan Fincham.

“It’s unfortunate you have to play this type of team in the second round,” he said. “East St. Louis is obviously a very talented team. But for our guys to come out and fight the way they did and continue to fight … they didn’t start pointing fingers, they didn’t start giving up. They kept playing hard and that’s what you want.”

Senior Kendrick Lyons’s 10-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Ronnie Gomiller on a slant route put the Flyers in front 6-0 with 6 minutes, 38 seconds left in the first quarter. Sophomore Reece Shanklin booted the point after. Lyons’s 41-yard pass to junior Kortez Rupert on the game’s first play keyed the drive.

Early in the second quarter, Lyons connected with Rupert on a 9-yard touchdown. Shanklin then ran in the two-conversion after he corralled the ball following a bad snap on the attempted PAT, upping the lead to 15-0.

Sophomore Amir Tilman’s 17-yard touchdown run 6:33 before halftime extended the lead to 21-0. Senior Larevious Woods’s 24-yard run set up the touchdown.

Normal West then went three and out and, on fourth down, East St. Louis sophomore Caleb Brown blocked the punt. Senior Mike Taylor scooped up the loose ball and scampered 12 yards for a touchdown and a 27-0 bulge with 4:14 left in the half.

Tilman’s electric 48-yard touchdown run the second play of the second half made the score 33-0. Shanklin added the extra point. Tilman used a nifty spin move to elude Normal West defenders and separate himself from the pack.

Later in the third quarter, East St. Louis senior Mehki Mixon intercepted a pass and returned it 30 yards to the Wildcats’ 8-yard line. Woods’s 2-yard touchdown run two plays later, coupled with Shanklin’s PAT, increased the lead to 41-0.

Junior Armaad Sharp’s 30-yard touchdown run the first play of the fourth quarter and Shanklin’s point after completed the scoring.

“I thought our guys did very well,” Sunkett said. “We don’t want to focus too much on this game — it’s in our past, it’s in our rearview mirror right now. We just have to get ready to where we’re going to have to travel next week and play football.”

OTHER PLAYOFF GAMES FROM SATURDAY

Below is a brief recap of other second round games from Saturday. The IHSA will announce times and dates in the next couple days.

CLASS 3A

• No. 4 seed Nashville improved to 10-1 and moved into the quarterfinals with a 41-21 home win against No. 5 seed Greenville. The Hornets now will face No. 9 seed Tolono Unity (8-3) on the road in the next round. Tolono Unity defeated top-seeded St. Joseph Ogden 35-7 in the second round.

CLASS 4A

• Top-seeded Breese Central rolled past No. 9 Murphysboro 34-7 on Saturday. The Cougars improved to 11-0 and now will face No. 12 seed Mt. Zion (9-3) in the quarterfinals. Mt. Zion defeated Peoria Notre Dame 43-28 in the second round.

• No. 6 seed Cahokia moved into the quarterfinals with a 40-20 win against No. 3 seed Waterloo on Saturday. The visiting Comanches improved to 9-2, while the Bulldogs’ season ended at 9-2. Cahokia now will host a quarterfinal game against either No. 2 Olney Richland County (10-0) or No. 10 Normal University (8-2).

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