Both Belleville Althoff Catholic and East St. Louis will be playing for IHSA state football championships this weekend, as the organization celebrates the 50th anniversary of the finals at its original home, Hancock Stadium, on the campus of Illinois State University, in Bloomington-Normal.
The Crusaders (13-0) will play for its first state championship since 1991, and fourth overall, when they meet Lena-Winslow (also 13-0) for the Class 1A title Friday morning at 10 a.m. The Flyers (12-1) appear in their fifth consecutive final, and 16th overall, when they meet Geneva (also 12-1) in the Class 6A championship game Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.
Althoff has reached its first final since 2016 by defeating Dupo 60-0, Carrollton 43-21, Casey-Westfield 54-7, and Camp Point Central 58-19. The Crusaders’ overall postseason record lifetime is 51-23. Meanwhile, the Panthers won over Clifton Central 70-32, Stockton 44-14, Gibson City-Melvin-SIbley 40-7, and LeRoy 42-13 to reach the final. Lena-Winslow’s overall postseason record is 61-23.
When one thinks about Althoff, everything starts with running back Dierre Hill, Jr. perhaps the best player in the St. Louis area, and definitely one of the state’s top players. Hill, who will be playing at the University of Oregon next season, has run for 2,150 yards and 37 touchdowns, also catching 14 passes for 285 yards and five touchdowns. There are many other weapons available to the Crusaders, starting with sophomore quarterback Jayden Ellington. Ellington is 112-of-155 passing for 1,940 yards and 34 touchdowns, while also running for 330 yards and nine touchdowns. The running game is complimented by sophomore Steven Brown, who’s ran for 462 yards and six touchdowns, and Lucas Jacquot, who has 198 yards and a score.
The receivers are led by Charleston Coldon, who has 38 catches for 762 yards and 12 touchdowns, while Kylin Jordan has 16 catches for 308 yards and eight touchdowns, Logan Thompson had caught 15 balls for 221 yards and three touchdowns, and Brown has 13 receptions for 130 yards and two touchdowns. All will be depended on in the final.
The Flyers have one of the best postseason records overall in the state, and are currently 113-32 in their playoff history, getting to the final with wins over Springfield 67-0, Normal Community West 48-0, Chatham Glenwood 58-14, and Oak Lawn Richards 48-0. The Vikings are 38-20 in their playoff lifetime going into the final, getting to this year’s championship by defeating Chicago Amundsen 49-7, Burlington Central 42-28, and Lake Forest 49-14, before upsetting defending champion Cary Grove 28-26.
Quarterback Kendrick Lyons has played very well in the postseason and is 141-of-199 passing for 2,183 yards and 23 touchdowns, also running for 112 yards and a touchdown. Reece Shanklin is a very capable backup, and is 22-of-46 passing for 432 yards and six touchdowns, also running for 45 yards. The running game is very powerful for East Side, starting with Larevious “Fresh” Woods, who has 709 yards and 17 touchdowns, while TaRyan Martin has 615 yards and five touchdowns, Amir Tillman has run for 278 yards and nine scores, Ahmad Coleman has run for 155 yards and eight touchdowns, and Mike Taylor has run for 101 yards.
The passing game is led by receiver Christopher Bennett, Jr. who has caught 40 passes for 592 yards and seven touchdowns, while Ronnie Gomiller has 26 catches for 489 yards and nine touchdowns, Kortez Rupert has caught 16 balls for 478 yards and nine touchdowns, Laron Baker, Jr. has 23 receptions for 332 yards and four touchdowns, and Armaad Sharp has 21 catches for 303 yards and six touchdowns.
The eight state championship games take place on Friday and Saturday, with the Class 1A-4A games played on Friday, and the 5A-8A finals going on Saturday. Kickoff times are at 10 a.m, 1 p.m., 4 p.m., and 7 p.m.
