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EDWARDSVILLE – It was a very successful opening night for the Edwardsville High football team Friday night, as the Tigers scored on all but one of their first-half possessions and used a balanced offensive attack in defeating McCluer North of Florissant, Mo., 63-0 at Tiger Stadium.
Senior quarterback Kendall Abdur-Rahman ran for 130 yards and two touchdowns while going four-for-six passing for 77 yards and three touchdowns, all in the first half, to help lead Edwardsville to the win.
“The kids did good, we executed pretty well,” a very pleased Tiger head coach Matt Martin said. “I mean, without watching the film, obviously, it looked like our execution and our effort was good. A lot of kids got to play. I think we came out injury-free, I’m hoping. So a lot of positives.”
Edwardsville was able to utilize its offense to great extent in the first half, and many players were able to contribute to the cause.
“It was a balanced attack,” Martin said, “A lot of times, it’s just about what the defense is trying to take away. You’ve gotta have other guys make plays.”
The two Tiger wideouts, Chase Moore and Lavontas Hairston, made big contributions as well, with each catching a touchdown pass in spectacular fashion.
“They competed well,” Martin said. “We missed one earlier, but I thought Chase answered back a couple of plays later, and was aggressive getting the ball, so I was proud of him for that.”
Hairston has improved as a receiver as well.
“He’s gotten better, I can tell he’s gotten better all year,” Martin said. “So proud of him.
After receiving the opening kickoff, the Tigers didn’t waste time in getting down to business, going 77 yards in six plays on the first possession. Abdur-Rahman passed to Dionte Rodgers for 21 yards for a key first down, and two plays later, Abdur-Rahman ran 46 yards up the middle for the season’s first touchdown. Brendan Latham added the convert to make it 7-0 Tigers 2:14 into the new season.
A bad snap on a punt n the Stars’ first possession gave the ball back to Edwardsville on the 10, and from there, Justin Johnson, Jr. took it in on the next play to double the Tigers’ advantage to 14-0. Edwardsville got the ball back after a three-and-out, and on a second and six at the Stars seven, Abdur-Rahman threw to Moore, who flat out outwrestled a McCluer North defensive back and flipped him over to make a spectacular catch for the touchdown. The point after made it 21-0 with 3:26 left in the first.
The Tigers then got the ball back after recovering the ensuing kickoff deep in McCluer North territory, and cashed in on an incredible catch by Hairston in the end zone from 26 yards out to make it 28-0 at quarter time after Latham’s convert.
After stopping the Stars again, it only took Edwardsville one play to further extend its lead. Johnson made a nifty run up the middle 50 yards for another touchdown 27 seconds into the second quarter to make it 35-0 after the convert. For the game, Johnson had 66 yards rushing and two touchdowns.
The Stars put together a drive for the first time on their next possession, getting good runs from Angelo Butts, H.B. Plamer, Roman Brown and Taylor Temple, getting into Tiger territory for the first time in the game, taking over six minutes off the clock. It ended when Edwardsville recovered a fumble at their own 27. It took the Tigers only 1:52 to go the 73 yards, climaxing with an eight yard run by Abdur-Rahman to make the score 42-0. After an interception stopped another Stars drive, Abdur-Rahman threw 23 yards to Hairston, who made a great fingertip catch in the end zone to make the score 49-0 at halftime.
Martin gave credit to his offensive line for helping Abdur-Rahman enjoy his first-half success.
“You know Kendall,” Martin said. “If we will do a good job taking care of level one, level two, we get him out into space where things are going to happen for us.”
The defense rose to the occasion on the first possession of the second half. Rodgers intercepted a Jonathan Jefferson pass and took off on a spectacular 53-yard return, aided by a key block by Jalen Cooper, for a touchdown, with the convert making the score 56-0.
Martin was very impressed with his defense and the shutout. The Tiger defense didn’t allow a big play throughout the evening, and was able to stop a pair of drives by the Stars’ offense, which featured multiple sets and formations.
“Yeah, that’s the thing,” Martin said. “We always talk about don’t let teams big play you, try to make them drive the field without making mistakes. Fortunately, they made some mistakes.”
Edwardsville got their final touchdown late in the final quarter, as reserve quarterback Luke Oglesby faked a handoff and kept around left end, going 63 yards for the final score, with the convert making the final score 63-0.
The Tigers, 1-0, will travel to suburban St. Louis next week for a key matchup against traditional power CBC. And Martin is hoping for one thing.
“A win,” Martin said with a smile and a laugh.
Dan Brannan also contributed to this story.
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