EDWARDSVILLE — Ella Wallace threw three touchdown passes, Kennedy Gieseking scored twice, and Ariea Williams returned an interception 40 yards for a touchdown as Edwardsville shut out Peoria High 32-0 Monday night, Oct. 5, 2026, at Tiger Stadium to advance to Wednesday’s IHSA girls flag football regional final.
The unbeaten Tigers improved to 15-0 and will host Belleville East at 6 p.m. Wednesday for the regional title and a berth in the Belleville East sectional. Peoria finished its season 6-9.
Edwardsville head girls flag football coach Taylor Hay said her team emphasized avoiding early mistakes in the playoffs.
“We came out strong, we put some points on the board early, played well defensively, got the ball back for our offense, and repeat, repeat, repeat,” Coach Hay said.
The Tigers scored on their first possession. On the second play from scrimmage, Serena Shapiro caught a pass and advanced to the Peoria 15-yard line. Wallace then found Gieseking in the end zone for a 6-0 lead nearly two minutes into the game. The conversion pass was unsuccessful.
Williams intercepted a pass on Peoria’s first possession and returned it 40 yards down the far sideline for a touchdown. Zinnia Allen caught the conversion pass, giving Edwardsville a 13-0 lead after the first quarter.
Gieseking added a 1-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Peoria broke up the conversion attempt, and the Tigers took a 19-0 lead into halftime.
Sophie Shapiro caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from Wallace in the third quarter to make it 25-0. The conversion attempt failed. Later in the half, Wallace connected with Tatum Brown for an 11-yard touchdown, and Serena Shapiro caught the conversion pass to complete the scoring.
Peoria quarterback Neriah Avanat kept drives alive with runs, but the Lions were not able to score. Edwardsville’s Jess Sever intercepted a pass and returned it 15 yards, while Ava Elliott recorded two sacks.
“Tonight, we showed up; everyone did the part that they’re supposed to do. We said everyone plays their role; football goes like that,” Hay said. “When you do your part, you will be successful.”
Dan Brannan also contributed to this story.
