ALTON – The Alton High School football team played hard, with heart and with purpose, but in the end, couldn’t overcome their mistakes in falling to DeKalb 48-20 in the final game of the season Friday night at Public School Stadium.
It was the Redbirds’ annual Senior Night, and the Alton football Class of 2020, along with their families, were honored in pregame ceremonies and remembered for making the IHSA playoffs in both 2017 and 2018, winning their first-round game in 2017.
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“We played hard, and we made some mistakes that were hard to overcome,” said Alton head coach Eric Dickerson. “We could have played a little better, but we made just too many mistakes.”
The Redbirds did play well offensively, moved the ball well, and got a 75-yard touchdown run from running back Tim Johnson early in the second quarter that tied the game at 7-7. But the Barbs ran the ensuing kickoff back 92 yards for a touchdown that gave DeKalb the lead back, and never looked back.
“We moved the ball well on offense,” Dickerson said, “Tim ran the ball very hard, and the offensive line blocked well, But we gave up two kickoff returns for touchdowns, which is never a good thing.”
And in a most unusual occurrence, DeKalb’s defense scored three safeties in the game. Not only did the Barbs get two points from each safety, it also forced Alton to put the ball back into play with a free-kick from their own 20-yard line, giving DeKalb good field position.
“it puts the defense in a bad situation,” Dickerson said, “and those mistakes are hard to overcome.”
There’s still much to be proud of, with the Redbirds having made the playoffs in two of the last three seasons, and Dickerson is very proud of his team for that.
“That’s what I told them after the game,” Dickerson said. “Getting to the playoffs two of the last three years is fantastic, and we have to build on that.”
The Redbirds finished the 2019 season 3-6, and Dickerson and the coaching staff will take time to look at the season past and decide where to go from there.
“We’ll take the time to digest the season,” Dickerson said, “sit down, and figure out where we’re going to go from here, but the playoffs are always the goal.”
And Dickerson is very proud of his players and thanked them for their hard work and fighting spirit throughout the campaign.
“Our season didn’t go the way we wanted it to go,” Dickerson said, “but the boys played hard, played with heart, and fought hard every game. The effort was there.”
