As another season approaches, it seems time to put some thoughts together on some of what the 618 has to offer on the gridiron. Hopefully some others can chime in with more in-depth thoughts on teams they follow.
Southwestern Conference
East St. Louis enters this fall as the favorite once again after a state winning campaign and a dominant 5-0 league record. Last year's team was anchored by an offensive line that quarterbacks/running backs dream of, but that unit has since graduated. But what's more important is what the Flyers return: their top five touchdown scorers who found paydirt a combined 67 times last year. The most important returnee in that group is quarterback Robert 'Pops' Battle who is set to play for Lindenwood at the next level. His upcoming senior campaign will be his fourth year under center. The first three weeks will be a true test for this star-powered squad starting with their season opener against Mount Carmel before hosting Baltimore powerhouse St. Francis and a trip down to Texas. As has been the case for the past several years, East St. Louis figures as 618's best title contender.
Edwardsville has a new sheriff in town as Kelsey Pickering has taken over the head coaching reigns from Matt Martin. Martin's shoes are certainly a challenge to fill, with a resume that includes reaching all 11 postseasons over his tenure and 96 wins. Pickering will have some talent for the transition, starting with SIU commit Jake Curry who will quarterback the Tigers for his third and final season. Iose Epenesa, the younger brother of AJ Epenesa, also returns to the Tiger defensive line as one of the Class of 2025 prospects. Edwardsville seems like the best bet to knock off East St. Louis in the SWC this fall, but even with homefield advantage that will be a tall task. The also seem to be bound for a drop down to 7A this season, which puts a deep run within reach.
O'Fallon had one of the state's most stomach churning ends to their postseason last fall. The Panthers, in pursuit of the first playoff win since 2012, were marching downfield for a game-tying drive against an Edwardsville squad they defeated earlier in the regular season. After the Panthers reached the red zone, an officiating mistake resulted in a dubious "turnover on downs" after only three plays on that set of downs that allowed Edwardsville to run out the clock. This year's O'Fallon team will turn to several new faces after having all but one of their touchdowns last season coming from seniors. On the otherside of the ball, the Panthers will return Drake Mosley, Jordan Suggs and Stephan Tolliver who finished second, third and fourth on the team in tackles last fall. With a pretty easy path to 5+ wins, people should expect to see O'Fallon in the postseason again. Their week four hosting of Edwardsville is already a strong contender for game of the year in the Southwestern Conference and one that easily could decide who takes second place.
Belleville East finished fourth in the conference last year and would have finished third if they successfully converted a two-point conversion during their 28-27 overtime loss to Edwardsville. The Lancers did reach the postseason last year at 5-4 before a first-round exit to South Elgin. Looking at their schedule this year, they should be near the 5 win mark again. Their first two matchups, Collinsville and Pekin, will be vital to their playoff aspirations. Running back Markevious Curiton figures as a feature player for Belleville East after a junior campaign that saw him lead the Lancers in touchdown and finish second in total yardage. If there is any SWC team that can take a game from the trio of ESTL, Eville and O'Fallon, it would be this team.
Alton has done one thing well the last two years: defeat Belleville West. Their wins over the Maroons the past two seasons have kept them out of last place in the league and have stood as their only victories overall. Antoine Phillips led the Redbirds with 52 tackles during their last campaign and racked up 6 takeaways.
Belleville West has gone 0-18 since their last victory on April 23, 2021, but the Maroons received a nice boost this summer with the hiring of head coach Ken Turner. Coach Turner comes by way of St. Mary's in Missouri, where he led the Dragons to state championships over the course of their last two seasons. His offensive prowess will be reinforced by returning quarterback Landon McDonald, plus Jahkori Adams and Exavier Zeilman who tallied 5 of the team's 7 touchdowns last fall.
Southwestern Conference
East St. Louis enters this fall as the favorite once again after a state winning campaign and a dominant 5-0 league record. Last year's team was anchored by an offensive line that quarterbacks/running backs dream of, but that unit has since graduated. But what's more important is what the Flyers return: their top five touchdown scorers who found paydirt a combined 67 times last year. The most important returnee in that group is quarterback Robert 'Pops' Battle who is set to play for Lindenwood at the next level. His upcoming senior campaign will be his fourth year under center. The first three weeks will be a true test for this star-powered squad starting with their season opener against Mount Carmel before hosting Baltimore powerhouse St. Francis and a trip down to Texas. As has been the case for the past several years, East St. Louis figures as 618's best title contender.
Edwardsville has a new sheriff in town as Kelsey Pickering has taken over the head coaching reigns from Matt Martin. Martin's shoes are certainly a challenge to fill, with a resume that includes reaching all 11 postseasons over his tenure and 96 wins. Pickering will have some talent for the transition, starting with SIU commit Jake Curry who will quarterback the Tigers for his third and final season. Iose Epenesa, the younger brother of AJ Epenesa, also returns to the Tiger defensive line as one of the Class of 2025 prospects. Edwardsville seems like the best bet to knock off East St. Louis in the SWC this fall, but even with homefield advantage that will be a tall task. The also seem to be bound for a drop down to 7A this season, which puts a deep run within reach.
O'Fallon had one of the state's most stomach churning ends to their postseason last fall. The Panthers, in pursuit of the first playoff win since 2012, were marching downfield for a game-tying drive against an Edwardsville squad they defeated earlier in the regular season. After the Panthers reached the red zone, an officiating mistake resulted in a dubious "turnover on downs" after only three plays on that set of downs that allowed Edwardsville to run out the clock. This year's O'Fallon team will turn to several new faces after having all but one of their touchdowns last season coming from seniors. On the otherside of the ball, the Panthers will return Drake Mosley, Jordan Suggs and Stephan Tolliver who finished second, third and fourth on the team in tackles last fall. With a pretty easy path to 5+ wins, people should expect to see O'Fallon in the postseason again. Their week four hosting of Edwardsville is already a strong contender for game of the year in the Southwestern Conference and one that easily could decide who takes second place.
Belleville East finished fourth in the conference last year and would have finished third if they successfully converted a two-point conversion during their 28-27 overtime loss to Edwardsville. The Lancers did reach the postseason last year at 5-4 before a first-round exit to South Elgin. Looking at their schedule this year, they should be near the 5 win mark again. Their first two matchups, Collinsville and Pekin, will be vital to their playoff aspirations. Running back Markevious Curiton figures as a feature player for Belleville East after a junior campaign that saw him lead the Lancers in touchdown and finish second in total yardage. If there is any SWC team that can take a game from the trio of ESTL, Eville and O'Fallon, it would be this team.
Alton has done one thing well the last two years: defeat Belleville West. Their wins over the Maroons the past two seasons have kept them out of last place in the league and have stood as their only victories overall. Antoine Phillips led the Redbirds with 52 tackles during their last campaign and racked up 6 takeaways.
Belleville West has gone 0-18 since their last victory on April 23, 2021, but the Maroons received a nice boost this summer with the hiring of head coach Ken Turner. Coach Turner comes by way of St. Mary's in Missouri, where he led the Dragons to state championships over the course of their last two seasons. His offensive prowess will be reinforced by returning quarterback Landon McDonald, plus Jahkori Adams and Exavier Zeilman who tallied 5 of the team's 7 touchdowns last fall.