EDWARDSVILLE — Edwardsville’s furious fourth-quarter comeback fell inches short on a final Hail Mary pass Friday night, as O’Fallon held on for a 17-13 Southwestern Conference football victory that spoiled the Tigers’ homecoming and Senior Night at Tiger Stadium.
Jackson Parker’s 35-yard touchdown run and Gunnar Hoffman’s touchdown pass helped the Panthers build a 17-0 lead before Edwardsville rallied with two fourth-quarter touchdowns in the Week 7 matchup.
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“We’re proud of the efforts late,” Edwardsville head coach Kelsey Pickering said. “We have to figure out how to do it early in the game."
Before the game, Edwardsville honored members of its Class of 2027 and their families in annual Senior Night ceremonies recognizing their contributions to the program. The Tigers then kept fighting through a scoreless first half and a three-score deficit, giving themselves a final chance to win.
It was both Edwardsville’s homecoming game, and Senior Night, in which the Tigers’ Class of 2027 – Dean Williams, Jurnie Thompson, Brandon Houston, Jr., Kaden Wilson, Rayqwon Wallace, Pierce Bauerle, Jahki Nicholson, Braylon Hill-Lomax, Brandon Humphrey, Nolan Smith, Sisir Sapkota, Roman Preciado, Olive Brown, Jack Hagerty, Lucas Garman, Luke Ramrirez, Aiden Bennett, Emmett Sundberg, Jackson Wallis, Coltyn Davis, Nathan Champion, Logan Garman, Devin Seymore, Matthew Kostich, and Raven Lacuesta – and their families were tthanked, honored, and saluted for their contributions’ to the program in the annual pregame ceremonies.
Quarterback Dean Williams started the comeback with a 17-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, cutting O’Fallon’s lead to 17-7. Later, Edwardsville drove from deep in its own territory before Williams found Harvey Wallace for a 6-yard touchdown pass. The conversion was missed, leaving the Tigers trailing 17-13.
O’Fallon gained a key first down on its next possession before punting the ball back with 10 seconds remaining. Edwardsville’s final Hail Mary pass narrowly failed, preserving the Panthers’ victory.
“I loved seeing the fight at the end,” Pickering said. “We have to learn to play all four quarters. That’s the main thing."
The teams played a scoreless opening quarter before Parker broke through early in the second, running 35 yards down the far sideline for a touchdown and a 7-0 O’Fallon lead.
The Panthers intercepted a pass late in the quarter and capitalized when Hoffman connected with Cashen Brown for a 27-yard touchdown, making it 14-0 at halftime.
Another Edwardsville turnover extended the deficit. A fumbled punt gave O’Fallon possession at the Tigers’ 10-yard line. Edwardsville’s defense held the Panthers out of the end zone, but Blake Keller kicked a 26-yard field goal for a 17-0 lead.
“It was a great ball game,” O’Fallon coach Joe Speaks said. “Edwardsville’s a great program, so anytime we’re going to play against them we know they’re going to bring their best, and play good football.”
Speaks praised Hoffman and Parker for their contributions.
“Gunnar’s a senior, Jackson is a young guy, but he’s coming along really strong for us this year,” Speaks said.
Pickering credited O’Fallon while emphasizing Edwardsville’s need for a more complete performance.
“O’Fallon played well tonight,” Pickering said. “I’m not going to take anything away from them.”
O’Fallon improved to 4-3 and will host East next Friday before finishing the regular season at Alton. Edwardsville fell to 2-5 with two regular-season games remaining and still has a chance to reach the IHSA playoffs.
The Tigers visit Belleville West next Friday before closing at Collinsville. All games are scheduled for 7 p.m.
