618 Talk Week 3

[Formicidae13]

Going into week 2 for Southern Illinois, I thought we had several interesting games but last weekend delivered even better than I expected.

Milk Bowl goes sour: The annual rivalry bout between Breese's Central and Mater Dei High Schools delivered what may have been its most dramatic finish ever. Central, looking to end a five-year skid in the trophy matchup, trailed 14-7 late in the fourth quarter. With just over three minutes remaining, the Cougars tied the game after Preston Baker connected with Carter Deien for their second scoring connection of the game. Central later regained possession with the 14-14 tie still intact and found themselves in position for a game-winning field goal try. They attempted the kick on third down, which proved helpful because Mater Dei blocked their first attempt. The controversy starts here however, as the blocked kick never crossed the line of scrimmage, which usually would mean possession stays with the kicking team on a third down. But, the blocked kick went out of bounds and according to rule Mater Dei should have been given possession. However, Central was given the ball back and Bryce Wieter nailed a 37 yarder to score a 17-14 win. I wish I had video of the disputed play to share here, but I'm yet to come across it anywhere.
As I mentioned last week, winning this game was a lot more important to Mater Dei's season(1-1) than Central's(1-1) because the Knights now have a tough path to five wins. They have three very winnable games in weeks 4,5 & 6, but they'll still need to another game from Althoff/St. Teresa/Effingham/Mt.Zion. On the other hand, Central could win out and enter the postseason at 8-1, starting with a trip to Red Bud next week.

Southwestern Conference:
East St. Louis: Last week's performance on the All Gas, No Brakes Tour saw the Flyers host St. Frances out of Baltimore. Since De Smet backed out of their week nine visit, this game is the only home non-conference on East Side's schedule. With both teams tied at 7-7 after three quarters, this one was decided by the fourth quarter. East Side broke through the gridlock with six minutes remaining off of a rocket of a pass from Pops Battle to Rico Bond, but a missed extra point kept the Maryland visitors within 13-7. St. Frances would end up within six yards of the Flyer end zone near the end of the fourth quarter, but found themselves stuffed on a fourth & two by junior linebacker Elmo Gilliam. East St. Louis(1-1) held on for the win to drop St. Frances to their first 0-3 start in a number of years. A trip down to 2-0 Atascocita, TX is next up for the Flyers and there is a good case for this being the toughest game on their schedule. Massey Ratings gives East St. Louis a 15% chance and Calpreps gives them a 20% to win that out of state battle.
Belleville East: The Lancers scored another key win last week in a 34-14 dispatching of Pekin. This game was as bad as 27-0 late in the third quarter before Pekin found themselves in the endzone and Pekin's only offensive score came with two minutes left to play. Off to a 2-0 start, Belleville East has won two key swing games that has them well positioned for a playoff qualification. Unfortunately, they may not win again for awhile as the head to Lincoln-Way West next week before visiting East St. Louis in week four.
Other Scores: Edwardsville(2-0) 47-6 Cahokia(1-1), Next vs Soldan,MO(0-2) | O'Fallon(2-0) 47-27 Troy,MO(1-1), Next at Lincoln-Way Central(2-0) | Belleville West(1-1) 14-47 Fort Zumwalt West,MO(1-1), Next at Stagg(2-0) | Alton(0-2) 6-40 Quincy(2-0), Next versus Triad(1-1)

I'll update later with South Seven, Mississippi Valley Conference and other notables.

 

[bjzeeb]

The Milk Bowl was definitely a battle between two tough teams. It's unfortunate that a bad call prevented this game from going into overtime. Blocked kick was deflected off MD player and landed, on the fly, in the hands of a Central Coach on sidelines behind line of scrimmage.

 

[Formicidae13]

South Seven
Carbondale(1-1) 23-10 Mt. Vernon(1-1): Every time I think I have a good feel for the South Seven, they throw me through a loop with a score like this one because Mt. Vernon seemed the best S7 team and Carbondale as the bottom. The first 15 minutes backed that theory, with the Rams jumping ahead 10-0. Yet, over the next 9 minutes the Terriers flipped this one around with a 23 point rush. Carbondale winning this one was a big enough surprise, but this low of a score is even more shocking when considering the Terriers allowed 49 points week one and the Rams tallied 55 in their home opener. Mt. Vernon(1-1) will get a shot at redemption next week in their return to their third road game of the season at Marion(2-0). If they can knock off the Wildcats, they are back in the conference race in my mind. Carbondale(1-1) has an enough tougher challenge as they face a multi-hour drive Friday night to visit 7A Collinsville(1-1). A win there would be an even bigger upset for Carbondale than beating Mt. Vernon.
Marion(2-0) 47-0 Granite City(0-2): The score obviously says most all that you need to know about this one, but there's still a couple of points to make here. First of all, Marion had four touchdowns from Jordyn Beverly with scoring runs of 36,40 and 21 plus a 91 yard kickoff. Beverly is a name that has consistently popped up in the statbook for the Wildcats over the past few years and has game-changing abilities. The other note to make on this week is that Marion(2-0) now seems the pretty clear team to beat for the S7 title. Not only are the Wildcats the last of the five league members to be undefeated, they have also crushed their opening opponents by a combined score of 73-6. That said, don't crown anybody yet in a league that seems to change on a week-by-week basis. Their first S7 game is this Friday against Mt. Vernon(1-1).
Other scores: Centralia(0-2) 14-34 Collinsville(1-1), Next vs Althoff(2-0) | Cahokia(1-1) 6-47 Edwardsville(2-0)

Mississippi Valley Conference
Mascoutah(1-1) 29-6 Riverview Gardens, MO(0-1): The Indians recorded their first win last week, making them one of 5 teams in the conference to stand at 1-1(the lone exception is 2-0 Civic Memorial). Riverview Gardens is far from a powerhouse, but Mascoutah controlled this one pretty well from wire to wire. Both times had three turnovers in this one, which is certainly an area the Indians need to work on if they want to live up to the standards of recent years. Running back Devon Parks seems a pretty clear pick for player of the game with three touchdowns and 113 yards across 27 carries. For week 3, Mascoutah(1-1) will remain at home for a tougher Missouri opponent in St. Dominic(2-0). My limited of the Crusaders is limited, but they have outscored their opponents 74-12 this year and seem to have a lot of respect in rankings across the Mississippi.
Waterloo(1-1) 14-0 Columbia(0-2): There's nothing quite like watching two rivals in a defensive battle and that's exactly what this year's Route 3 tiff produced. If the stats posted are correct on this one, Columbia was held to a total of 61 offensive yards on the day. Waterloo had a slow day as well after posting 41 points in week one, but 173 rushing yards(194 total) with two ground touchdowns in the first half. In the pursuit of their second win on the year, Waterloo(1-1) will host St. Mary's(0-2) out of St. Louis this week. The Dragons are currently reigning as back-to-back state champions but I believe they've had a significant drop off, which includes their head coach leaving for Belleville West.
Mt. Zion(2-0) 39-28 Triad(1-1): Passing was the name of the game in this one, with each team amassing four scoring passes in a borderline shootout. Mt. Zion is viewed as one of the top teams in 4A and they proved it with a strong win over what is likely to be a 5A playoff qualifier. From Triad's perspective, this was certainly a game they could afford to lose since they still have a very viable path to 5. Yet, the Mississippi Valley Conference as a whole has really lacked anything too impressive thus far. The league is still very green, so perhaps that will change in the coming weeks. Triad's(1-1) next opportunity will be a visit to the Alton Redbirds(0-2). The 7A Redbirds have only won two games over the last two seasons, but looked semi-solid in a 22-12 loss to Cahokia in week one that they led 12-0 in the fourth.
Other scores: Highland(1-1) 0-28 Mahomet-Seymour(1-1), Next vs Mattoon(1-1) | Civic Memorial(2-0) 40-7 East Alton-Wood River(0-2), Next vs Roxana(2-) | Jersey(1-1) 27-21 Freeburg(1-1), Next vs Charleston(2-)

Althoff(2-0) 46-13 St. Teresa(0-2): This win was a big enough statement that people on the board have begun to entertain the idea of 1A being competitive come November and for good reason. The combination of Dierre Hill and Antwan Strong was key to the Crusaders' second win in a row, as they each scored thrice and combined for 253 yards. With the victory, the Crusaders now seem to be a pretty safe to reach the postseason despite a schedule that routinely punches well above their weight class. The next squad in line for unbeaten Althoff is Centralia(0-2). These two programs have had their differences at times, with Centralia attempting to have Althoff kicked out of the South Seven a couple years back(before they left of their own accord before this season). The Orphans may give the Crusaders a decent test, but I expect an Althoff victory.

 

[crusader_of_90]

The next squad in line for unbeaten Althoff is Centralia(0-2). These two programs have had their differences at times, with Centralia attempting to have Althoff kicked out of the South Seven a couple years back(before they left of their own accord before this season). The Orphans may give the Crusaders a decent test, but I expect an Althoff victory.

I hope the boys keep an even head about themselves this week and kick the ever-living crap out of Centralia.

 

[ODirty1]

Kick them out why

 

[crusader_of_90]

The openly stated reason was the travel distance. What was whispered, is that Althoff was playing dirty. There was an incident or two.

 

[playboymixx]

Any streams of the O'Fallon vs Lincoln Way Central game?