DEKALB—For one half at least, Prairie Ridge kept hope alive. The Wolves battled East St. Louis, widely regarded as the state’s best team regardless of class, to a tie after two quarters.
Then everything went off the rails in the second half and the Flyers completed their unbeaten season and earned a ninth state title with a 43-21 victory on Saturday at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb.
“East St. Louis obviously has some unbelievable talent and the margin for error is so slim,” Wolves coach Chris Schremp said. “We hung with them the first half. They were able to make some big plays at some key moments. That’s what really good athletes do.”
Flyers quarterback Tyler Macon connected with Dominic Lovett for a 66-yard touchdown pass that put East St. Louis up 21-14 with 3:24 to play in the third quarter.
Macon found Lovett for a seven-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter and then a very big player made the game’s biggest play.
East St. Louis defensive lineman Darran Perkins picked up a Praire Ridge fumble and ran 90 yards for a touchdown.
“There was no hesitation but I was tired,” Perkins said. “I’m still tired. It’s unbelievable, an unreal feeling.”
Macon was 13-for-19 for 309 yards and three touchdowns. He had 11 carries for 91 yards and touchdown. Lovett caught five passes for 118 yards and two TDs and Keantez Lewis had three catches for 109 yards and one touchdown.
“Our defense was big,” East St. Louis coach Darren Sunkett said. “They played with a chip on their shoulders all day long. We kept hearing that we weren’t disciplined enough to stop an option attack. That we would have plenty of mental mistakes. Our guys took on that challenge all week.”
Kyle Koelblinger led the Wolves (12-1) with 30 carries for 142 yards. Quarterback Connor Lydon was 6-for-12 passing for 132 yards and two touchdowns and had 11 carries for 68 yards and a touchdown.
“I can’t say enough about the way our senior class played,” Schremp said. “They are a group that has been playing together since they were seven. It’s a tough loss for them. I don’t think there are too many teams that could have beat East St. Louis today. They are a good football team.”
The Flyers beat several of the Chicago area’s best big school programs this season including Batavia (7A), Neuqua Valley (8A) and Naperville Central (8A). All of those games were on the road.
“This whole trip has been a real journey for us,” East St. Louis senior Javontez Spraggins said. “We busted our tails all year from start to finish. “
