A weekly thread to talk about 618(southern Illinois) teams.
South Seven Yields Several Surprises
Althoff(3-3) comes from behind for a 31-30 upset over Marion(3-3)
Last week I included this in the games of the week, but only because I felt that any semi-competitive game belonged. Althoff pulling off the upset was certainly a surprise to me.
Marion, who nearly reached the 5A title game last year, held a 24-12 lead with 10:17 left to play. Lucious Dones would respond with two touchdowns for the Crusaders in less than two minutes with an 85 yard kickoff return and an 89 yard scoop and score(mind you he also snagged a 72 yard touchdown pass in the first quarter.)
The visiting Wildcats punched back with a 72 yard touchdown run just 21 seconds later to regain the lead at 30-24. Althoff tied the game at 30-30 with a touchdown with two minutes to play and Tyler Schmieder gave his team the lead at 31-30 with his first successful PAT kick of the night.
Final statline for Lucious Dones was 75 receiving yards, 114 return yards, 9 tackles, 1 fumble recovery and 3 touchdowns. This was a big win for Althoff to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Marion continues to surprise me. Who would have predicted they’d beat Cahokia but still find themselves at 1-2 in S7 play? Even wilder is that record having them tied for third place in the six team conference race. The Wildcats are still a very safe bet to appear in the 5A playoffs however.
Mt. Vernon(5-1) escapes a visit to 1-5 Carbondale 42-35???
Mt. Vernon’s style of play makes their results hard to predict, but this one is a head scratcher. The Rams jumped out to a 21-0 lead, but it disappeared early in the third quarter as the Terriers knotted the game at 28-28.
Both teams traded late fourth quarter touchdowns, but it was a Mt. Vernon 99 yard kickoff return that sealed this one. Tough to lose on a last minute kick return, but knowing you were so close to a touchback is a double whammy.
Hopefully this performance was a one off for the Rams or they will struggle against Centralia and Cahokia over the next two weeks.
Centralia(5-1) grinds out a 14-0 win over Cahokia(2-4)
This battle of human mascots had plenty of repercussions.
First, the loss requires the Comanches to find some magic to make the playoffs. They now need upsets over Mt. Vernon and O’Fallon.
Second, the Orphans win guarantees either they and/or Mt. Vernon will win the South Seven. The math for this is simple as they both hold a 2 game lead over the field and will face each other in week 8.
Amir Johnson supplied both touchdowns of the game, coming on rushes of 12 and 60 yards. The back has now compiled 11 touchdowns and 907 yards from scrimmage this season.
Mississippi Valley Continues to Resolve Itself
Triad(3-3) contains Mascoutah(4-2) for 34-14 win
Triad needed to win this game or else they would have to win out. That would not have been easy considering a Waterloo squad who took down Mascoutah remains in their path.
But the Knights did win, so they won't have to worry about that. With two very winnable games left against Jerseyville and Lincoln, I now expect Triad to make the playoffs. They seemed to employ a balanced offense in this one, with quarterback Nic Funk going 8-10 in the air and their stable of backs picking up 246 yards on the ground. They also didn't have any turnovers in the statbook, which seemed to hurt them a lot earlier in the year.
Unless they can pull an upset over Highland in week 8, the Indians will finish in the bottom half of the MVC. I still expect to see them in the playoffs however and I think they will be more dangerous against teams that aren't so familiar with them.
Other MVC scores: Highland(5-1) 65-0 Civic Memorial(1-5) and Waterloo(5-1) 42-6 Jersey(2-4)
Southwestern Big 3 Trounce Bottom 3
East St. Louis(4-2) 55-0 Belleville West(0-6)
Edwardsville(5-1) 51-6 Alton(1-5)
O'Fallon(5-1) 49-13 Belleville East(3-3)
Note: We see the top 3 take on the bottom 3 again next week. We at least get #3 Edwardsville against #4 Belleville East, but I wouldn't sit on the edge of seat for this one.
Week 7 Games to Watch
Highland(5-1) @ Waterloo(5-1)
-The Battle of the Bulldogs is the only real threat I see to Highland taking the conference crown. I wouldn't wager on this upset, but Waterloo is run heavy and may be able to chew enough clock to keep this one low scoring. It doesn't hurt that they get homefield advantage either. Running back Evan Davis will be key to Waterloo's hopes.
Cahokia(2-4) @ Mt. Vernon(5-1)
-Both teams will be looking to rebound after disappointing performance last week. Cahokia needs a win to keep their slim playoff hopes alive and Mt. Vernon needs this one to stay undefeated in conference play. This one will certainly be a clash of play styles.
Marion(3-3) @ Centralia(5-1)
-Headed into the S7 title game week 8 with Mt. Vernon, Centralia would love to pick up another win. On the other side, the Wildcats will be looking to right the ship after a slow start to their year.
South Seven Yields Several Surprises
Althoff(3-3) comes from behind for a 31-30 upset over Marion(3-3)
Last week I included this in the games of the week, but only because I felt that any semi-competitive game belonged. Althoff pulling off the upset was certainly a surprise to me.
Marion, who nearly reached the 5A title game last year, held a 24-12 lead with 10:17 left to play. Lucious Dones would respond with two touchdowns for the Crusaders in less than two minutes with an 85 yard kickoff return and an 89 yard scoop and score(mind you he also snagged a 72 yard touchdown pass in the first quarter.)
The visiting Wildcats punched back with a 72 yard touchdown run just 21 seconds later to regain the lead at 30-24. Althoff tied the game at 30-30 with a touchdown with two minutes to play and Tyler Schmieder gave his team the lead at 31-30 with his first successful PAT kick of the night.
Final statline for Lucious Dones was 75 receiving yards, 114 return yards, 9 tackles, 1 fumble recovery and 3 touchdowns. This was a big win for Althoff to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Marion continues to surprise me. Who would have predicted they’d beat Cahokia but still find themselves at 1-2 in S7 play? Even wilder is that record having them tied for third place in the six team conference race. The Wildcats are still a very safe bet to appear in the 5A playoffs however.
Mt. Vernon(5-1) escapes a visit to 1-5 Carbondale 42-35???
Mt. Vernon’s style of play makes their results hard to predict, but this one is a head scratcher. The Rams jumped out to a 21-0 lead, but it disappeared early in the third quarter as the Terriers knotted the game at 28-28.
Both teams traded late fourth quarter touchdowns, but it was a Mt. Vernon 99 yard kickoff return that sealed this one. Tough to lose on a last minute kick return, but knowing you were so close to a touchback is a double whammy.
Hopefully this performance was a one off for the Rams or they will struggle against Centralia and Cahokia over the next two weeks.
Centralia(5-1) grinds out a 14-0 win over Cahokia(2-4)
This battle of human mascots had plenty of repercussions.
First, the loss requires the Comanches to find some magic to make the playoffs. They now need upsets over Mt. Vernon and O’Fallon.
Second, the Orphans win guarantees either they and/or Mt. Vernon will win the South Seven. The math for this is simple as they both hold a 2 game lead over the field and will face each other in week 8.
Amir Johnson supplied both touchdowns of the game, coming on rushes of 12 and 60 yards. The back has now compiled 11 touchdowns and 907 yards from scrimmage this season.
Mississippi Valley Continues to Resolve Itself
Triad(3-3) contains Mascoutah(4-2) for 34-14 win
Triad needed to win this game or else they would have to win out. That would not have been easy considering a Waterloo squad who took down Mascoutah remains in their path.
But the Knights did win, so they won't have to worry about that. With two very winnable games left against Jerseyville and Lincoln, I now expect Triad to make the playoffs. They seemed to employ a balanced offense in this one, with quarterback Nic Funk going 8-10 in the air and their stable of backs picking up 246 yards on the ground. They also didn't have any turnovers in the statbook, which seemed to hurt them a lot earlier in the year.
Unless they can pull an upset over Highland in week 8, the Indians will finish in the bottom half of the MVC. I still expect to see them in the playoffs however and I think they will be more dangerous against teams that aren't so familiar with them.
Other MVC scores: Highland(5-1) 65-0 Civic Memorial(1-5) and Waterloo(5-1) 42-6 Jersey(2-4)
Southwestern Big 3 Trounce Bottom 3
East St. Louis(4-2) 55-0 Belleville West(0-6)
Edwardsville(5-1) 51-6 Alton(1-5)
O'Fallon(5-1) 49-13 Belleville East(3-3)
Note: We see the top 3 take on the bottom 3 again next week. We at least get #3 Edwardsville against #4 Belleville East, but I wouldn't sit on the edge of seat for this one.
Week 7 Games to Watch
Highland(5-1) @ Waterloo(5-1)
-The Battle of the Bulldogs is the only real threat I see to Highland taking the conference crown. I wouldn't wager on this upset, but Waterloo is run heavy and may be able to chew enough clock to keep this one low scoring. It doesn't hurt that they get homefield advantage either. Running back Evan Davis will be key to Waterloo's hopes.
Cahokia(2-4) @ Mt. Vernon(5-1)
-Both teams will be looking to rebound after disappointing performance last week. Cahokia needs a win to keep their slim playoff hopes alive and Mt. Vernon needs this one to stay undefeated in conference play. This one will certainly be a clash of play styles.
Marion(3-3) @ Centralia(5-1)
-Headed into the S7 title game week 8 with Mt. Vernon, Centralia would love to pick up another win. On the other side, the Wildcats will be looking to right the ship after a slow start to their year.
