Rivals Belleville East and Belleville West will square off Friday night in a game with playoff implications.
East enters Week 8 with four wins, while West has three. The Lancers would become playoff-eligible with a victory, while a loss would eliminate the Maroons from postseason consideration.
Meanwhile, East St. Louis and Edwardsville lock horns for the Southwestern Conference title, and Althoff has a road trip to Granite City.
Here is a snapshot of those games and other key local contests Friday:
BELLEVILLE WEST MAROONS at BELLEVILLE EAST LANCERS
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18, at Belleville East High School.
Belleville East coach: Michael Harrison.
2024 record: 4-3 overall, 2-2 in Southwestern Conference play.
Week 7 result: The Lancers lost to Edwardsville 20-10.
Belleville West coach: Ken Turner.
2024 record: 3-4 overall, 1-3 in Southwestern Conference play.
Week 7 result: The Maroons lost to O’Fallon 18-15.
2023 matchup: Belleville East defeated Belleville West 37-0.
Stat stuffer: The Lancers led Edwardsville 10-6 at halftime, but the Tigers scored 14 unanswered points in the 3rd quarter to take a 20-10 lead. Neither team scored in the 4th quarter.
Additional note : The loss to O’Fallon dealt a big blow to the Maroons’ playoff chances, as they still remain two wins away from the minimum five victories to become eligible for the postseason.
Look ahead to Week 9: Both teams conclude regular season action at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25, as Belleville East hosts Granite City and Belleville West entertains Vianney.
EDWARDSVILLE TIGERS at EAST ST. LOUIS FLYERS
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18, at East St. Louis High School.
East St. Louis coach: Darren Sunkett.
2024 record: 7-0 overall, 4-0 in Southwestern Conference action.
Week 7 result: The Flyers defeated Alton 57-0.
Edwardsville coach: Kelsey Pickering.
2024 record: 6-1 overall, 4-0 in Southwestern Conference play.
Week 7 result: Edwardsville defeated Belleville East 20-10.
2023 matchup: East St. Louis defeated Edwardsville 27-15.
Stat stuffer: The Flyers’ closest SWC outcome this season has been 40 points.
Additional notes: Friday’s match-up is a winner-take-all showdown for the SWC championship; the Tigers enter the game with just one loss, 22-21 to Lawrence Central (Ind.).
Look ahead to Week 9: Both teams conclude regular season action at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25, as East St. Louis welcomes IMG Academy (Fla.) and Edwardsville hosts De Smet.
ALTHOFF CRUSADERS at GRANITE CITY WARRIORS
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18 at Granite City High School.
Althoff coach: Austin Frazier.
2024 record : 7-0.
Week 7 result: The Crusaders defeated Mater Dei 46-6. Althoff led 33-0 at halftime and rolled to victory. University of Oregon commit Dierre Hill Jr., a senior, had 4 touchdown runs, while sophomore QB Jayden Ellington completed a 29-yard touchdown to senior WR Charleston Coldon and a 37-yard touchdown to senior WR Kylin Jordan.
Granite City coach: Steve Roustio.
2024 record: 0-7.
Week 7 result: Granite City lost to Mount Vernon 42-18.
2023 result: Althoff defeated Granite City 53-14.
Stat stuffer: Hill Jr. had touchdown runs of 99 yards, 85 yards 82 yards and 8 yards against Mater Dei.
Additional notes: Outside of a 1-point victory against Tolono Unity, Althoff’s closest margin of victory has been 27 points.
Look ahead to Week 9: Both teams conclude the regular season next weekend as Granite City visits Belleville East at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25, and Althoff hosts Maple Park Kaneland at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26.
O’FALLON PANTHERS at ALTON REDBIRDS
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18, at O’Fallon High School.
O’Fallon coach: Joe Speaks.
2024 record: 1-6 overall, 1-3 in Southwestern Conference play.
Week 7 result: The Panthers defeated Belleville West 18-15.
Alton coach: Cody Markle.
2024 record: 0-7 overall, 0-4 in Southwestern Conference action.
Week 7 result: . The Redbirds lost to East St. Louis 57-0.
2023 matchup: O’Fallon defeated Alton 23-0.
Stat stuffer: In the 2023 matchup, O’Fallon senior RB Jahkori Adams rushed for 165 yards on 26 carries.
Additional note : The Panthers’ secured their first victory of the season against the Maroons.
Look ahead to Week 9: Both teams conclude the regular season at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25, as O’Fallon hosts LaSalle-Peru and Alton hosts Mount Vernon.
COLLINSVILLE KAHOKS at CAHOKIA COMANCHES
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18, at Cahokia High School.
Collinsville coach: Colton Rhodes.
2024 record: 4-3.
Week 7 result: The Kahoks defeated Marion 48-38.
Cahokia coach: Darien Donald.
2024 record: 6-1, overall, 4-0 in South Seven Conference play.
Week 7 result: The Comanches defeated Centralia 28-17. Senior QB Zion Taylor completed 16 of 22 passes for 165 yards against the Orphans.
2023 matchup: Collinsville defeated Cahokia 28-6.
Stat stuffer: Against Marion, Collinsville senior QB Chase Reynolds rushed for 171 yards and 3 touchdowns on 23 carries. He also passed for 108 yards and caught a 74 yard touchdown pass from senior Zach Priest; senior RB Rome Richardson rushed for 133 yards and 3 touchdowns on 21 carries; Taylor is enjoying an outstanding campaign, completing 104 passes in 147 attempts (70.75%) for 1,682 yards and 6 touchdowns against 0 interceptions.
Additional notes : Cahokia secured the South Seven Conference title with the Centralia win.
Look ahead to Week 9: Both teams conclude regular season action at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25, as Collinsville visits Triad and Cahokia travels to Sycamore.
TRIAD KNIGHTS at CIVIC MEMORIAL EAGLES
Kickoff: 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18, at Civic Memorial High School.
Triad coach: Calvin Potthast.
2024 record: 6-1 overall, 3-1 in Mississippi Valley Conference play.
Week 7 result: The Knights lost to Highland 14-7.
Civic Memorial coach: Nick Smith.
2024 record: 2-5 overall, 0-4 in Mississippi Valley Conference play.
Week 7 result: The Eagles lost to Waterloo 41-14.
2023 matchup: Triad defeated Civic Memorial 51-6.
Stat stuffer: The league standings now have a logjam at the top, with Highland, Triad and Waterloo all positioned at 3-1. Waterloo defeated Highland 28-18 earlier this season, while Triad defeated Waterloo 31-7.
Additional notes: Friday’s outcome marked Triad’s 3rd-consecutive loss to MVC rival Highland.
Look ahead to Week 9: Both teams conclude regular season action at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 25, as Triad hosts Collinsville and Civic Memorial entertains Pontiac.
STATS LEADERS
Several metro-east football players are putting up big seasons. Here is a look at how some of the top stars have performed through 7 weeks:
- Dierre Hill, Jr., Althoff, RB, senior. Hill Jr. remains atop the leader board in the metropolitan St. Louis area in several categories, including touchdowns (28), rushing yards (1,360) total yards (1,529) and total points (172). Of note, the University of Oregon commit is averaging a whopping 18 yards per carry, also first in the area by a wide margin.
- Zion Taylor, Cahokia, QB, senior. Taylor is 4th among area leaders in passing yards with 1,682. He’s thrown 16 touchdowns as well.
- Jayden Ellington, Althoff, QB, sophomore. Ellington leads the entire area in passing ratio at 168.333. He also paces the area with 23 touchdowns while only throwing 2 interceptions.
- Preston Baker, Breese Central, QB, senior. Baker is 2nd in the area with a passing ratio of 164.307. Baker also is among area leaders with 18 touchdown passes against 0 interceptions.
- Omar Mims Jr., Cahokia, WR, junior. Mims Jr. is second in the area in return yards with 399 on 14 returns (28.50 yard average). He also is 3rd among area leaders with an average of 30.2 yards per catch.
- Cooper Weik, Columbia, WR/DB, junior. Weik is tied for 3rd in the area with 3 fumble recoveries.
- Isaac Phipps, Cahokia, DE/LB, senior. Phipps is tied for 2nd among area leaders in sacks with 8. He also is tied for 3rd in the area with 3 fumble recoveries.
- Noah Ramirez, Edwardsville, RB/LB, senior. Ramirez is tied for 3rd in the area with 3 fumble recoveries.
- Dane Olmstead, Freeburg, K, sophomore. Olmstead is 4th in the area in kickoff average with 1,514 yards on 26 attempts (58.23 average)
- Michael Tongay, Collinsville, senior. Tongay is 3rd among area leaders in assists with 46.
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