EDWARDSVILLE - The feature game of Week 3 for the region – with all kickoff times slated for 7 p.m. - will be played at Edwardsville’s Tiger Stadium, when EHS hosts East St. Louis in what could be a key game in the Southwestern Conference; the Tigers go into the game at 1-1 on the year after last week’s 58-45 shootout loss to CBC on the road while the Flyers are 1-1 after a 32-26 triple-overtime win over Trinity.
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The game could be affected by Friday’s forecasted rainstorms. “We’ve played in the rain before,” said Tiger coach Matt Martin about Friday’s forecasts. “You just have to make the most of it and adjust to the conditions.”
Martin feels there were many positives to take out of their loss to the Cadets last week. “It’s an opportunity for us to get better,” Martin said. “East St. Louis is always a good program.”
Last week’s game against CBC certainly showcased senior quarterback Kendall Abdur-Rahman, who carried for 232 yards and four touchdowns, including runs of 82, 80, 40 and four yards; the two long touchdown runs gave Abdur-Rahman a chance to show his creativity when he gets room, Martin thought. “If he gets some space, he can get creative and get an opportunity to score,” Martin said of Abdur-Rahman; “we have other weapons we can use as well – Dionte (Rodgers), Justin (Johnson) and our wide receivers.” Abdur-Rahman has carried for 365 yards so far this year on 25 carries with six touchdowns; Johnson has had 18 attempts for 101 yards on the year with two touchdowns and also has had two catches for 55 yards while Lavontas Harrison has two receptions for 49 yards and two scores.
The Tigers will have to watch out for Flyer quarterback Tyler Macon, who has run for 213 yards and five touchdowns in East Side’s first two games of the year; running back DeMonte Witherspoon has run for 233 yards on 37 carries with five touchdowns so far as well. “They’ve got good running backs and wide receivers there,” Martin said. “They’re tough to shut down.”
On the defensive side, Jacob Morrisey leads EHS with 11 tackles while Jalen Cooper and Ryan Strohmeier have 10 tackles each, Strohmeier four for losses and a sack; East St. Louis is led by Sydney Houston with 24 tackles while Withespoon has 18 tackles and Lawaun Powell Jr has 14 tackles on the season so far.
