BELLEVILLE/HARDIN – The quarterfinals of the IHSA football playoffs have four area teams remaining, with two of them set to go Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in Class 1A, and potentially a blockbuster semifinal game if all goes well.
Belleville Althoff Catholic, the top seed in the southern half of the bracket, hosts Casey Westfield in a 2 p.m. kickoff at George Martz Field, while Hardin Calhoun plays a rematch of last year’s quarterfinal at defending champions Camp Point Central at 4 p.m. The two winners will meet each other in next week’s semifinals for the chance to play in the final at Hancock Stadium on the campus of Illinois State University in Bloomington-Normal.
In Class 4A, Cahokia plays at home at Brien Field against Normal University Saturday at 2 p.m., while in Class 6A, East St. Louis travels to Chatham Glenwood for a quarterfinal match-up Saturday, also at 2 p.m.
The Crusaders are 11-0, having defeated Dupo 60-0 in the first round, and last week, won at Carrollton 43-21 in the second round. The Warriors are 10-1, having defeated Jacksonville Routt Catholic 39-21, and last week winning over Mt. Sterling Brown County 16-0, in a rain-soaked game. Meanwhile, Calhoun is also 10-1, having won over Moweaqua Central A&M 38-8, then getting past Sesser Valier 14-6. The Panthers. likewise, are 10-1, having won their first round game over Nokomis 28-6, then taking a 40-0 win over Toledo Cumberland in last week’s second round.
Althoff’s offense starts around Oregon recruit Dierre Hill, Jr., who many regard as the best player in the St. Louis area. He’s run for 1,715 yards and 29 touchdowns this season, but he’s not the only weapon in the Crusaders’ arsenal. Steven Brown has rushed for 392 yards and six touchdowns and forms a lethal one-two punch in the backfield, and Althoff also has Lucas Jacquot, who has 186 yards rushing and a touchdown, and quarterback Jayden Ellington, who’s run for 180 yards and seven scores. in reserve.
Ellington is also 101-of-141 passing for 1,753 yards and 30 touchdowns, and has a variety of receivers to throw to, such as Charleston Coldon, who has 34 catches for 691 yards and 11 touchdowns, Kylin Jordan, who has 14 receptions for 264 yards and seven touchdowns, Hill, who’s caught 12 balls for 241 yards and four touchdowns, and Logan Thompson, who has 14 receptions for 222 yards and three touchdowns, Thompson also ran a kickoff back 88 yards for a touchdown against the Hawks last week.
Calhoun boasts of a powerful running game, led by Connor Longnecker, who’s run for 1,470 yards and 19 touchdowns, while Drew Wallendorf has thrown in 556 yards and nine touchdowns. Overall, seven different players have ran for at least triple figures in yards, and the ground game is a hard one to stop. When the Warriors have to go to the air, quarterback Jake Snyders is 17-of-37 for 193 yards and four touchdowns, and depend on top receiver Lane Elielrman, who has nine receptions for 115 yards and a touchdown.
The running game is Calhoun’s bread-and-butter, and will be put to the test against Central, with the Warriors owning a 14-13 win over the Panthers in week two on Sept. 6.
