Tigers Use Three Huge First-Half Plays To Run Away From Alton

ALTON – The Edwardsville Tigers used a couple of pick-sixes and a punt return to jump out to a 21-0 halftime lead over the hosting Alton Redbirds.

The Tigers went on to win by a score of 42-0, improving to 5-1 on the season and 3-0 in the Southwestern Conference.

The Redbirds fall to 0-6 on the year.

Edwardsville received to open the game but didn’t make much of its initial drive. It all worked out though when the Tigers’ defense pumped out some offense.

The Redbirds converted on back-to-back third-and-longs and were nearing half-field, but a pass was tipped off and intercepted by Patrick Chism who ran it 57 yards to the endzone. Hunter Lading’s extra point was good to take a 7-0 lead with 2:48 remaining in the first quarter.

Alton started its next possession at its own 14-yard line and went three and out. Clayton Lakatos proceeded to return the ensuing punt 54 yards to the house. Lading made good again to make it 14-0 with two seconds left in the first.

Alton junior quarterback Riley Smith nearly found a wide-open Travis Billups with a 40-yard dime, but Billups bobbled the ball for what would have been a touchdown with how far behind Edwardsville’s defense he was lurking.

The Redbirds’ defense was making up for it for the time being, stopping the Tigers on 4th-and-6 in the red zone, and then holding the Tigers to a 30-yard field goal attempt, one that Lading hit the post on, keeping the score at 14-0 nearing halftime.

The energy was sucked out of Public School Stadium when Edwardsville’s Drew Smith scored a pick-six from about 28 yards away with 24 seconds left in the half.

“Two pick-sixes and it would have been a 7-0 ball game [at halftime]. That certainly put a damper on things,” Alton head coach Cody Markle said postgame.

He was still impressed with how his defense held tough throughout the first half against an Edwardsville offense that averages just over 33 points per game.

“I thought our defense really stepped up. Edwardsville is a really well-coached team. They’re disciplined, coach [Pickering] does a great job over there. But I really thought our defense stepped up to the plate, they made some good plays when we needed them to,” Markle said.

“And then our offense was moving the ball. We didn’t finish the drive, but we were moving the ball, taking time off the clock, and that’s what we want out of our offense. But, at some point, you’ve got to finish those things. You can’t move the ball and not finish it.”

Alton has been shut out in back-to-back games, while the Tigers have only allowed 24 points in the five games they’ve won. It showing in the rankings as Edwardsville climbed a spot to number seven in the latest IHSA Class 7A Associated Press state poll.

“[Edwardsville] have a great defensive scheme,” Markle continued. “You know what you’re going to get out of them every time. They’re tough, they’re gritty, they’re going to fight every play. That makes it tough on an offense. We’ve got to find ways to counteract that.”

The Redbirds never figured out Edwardsville’s defense, instead, the Tigers continued to pile on the points.

Yale Weaver found Devyon Hill-Lomax with a 19-yard pass and run touchdown at 9:48 in the third quarter and Steven Moore Jr. found a gap and scored a 26-yard rushing TD at 6:34.

Gavin Yates would get Edwardsville’s final score via an eight-yard rush. Although Lading had the missed field goal, he was perfect on the night with extra-point kicks.

Edwardsville head coach Kelsey Pickering was happy with the way his defense created offense early on.

“It’s one of the things we talk about is that we’re going to be a three-phase team,” he said. “Some nights it’s going to be the defense that struggles, some nights it’s going to be special teams. We have to have all three phases. Anytime you’re able to put up points with special teams or defense, it’s a really nice way to keep the game going the direction you want it to go.”

Although the Tigers maybe didn’t play their cleanest brand of football, the game never got away from them, putting the game to bed in the second half.

“That’s the nice piece when we can go into halftime, make a few adjustments, talk to the kids, make sure their minds are right, and then come back out and it just kind of clicked again,” Pickering continued. “It’s a big deal when the kids can respond to that. I think our coaches did a good job; our kids did a good job coming out of halftime ready to play.”

He also alluded to this being his team’s first road game since week one.

“We struggled with a lot of things, but we’ll fix them,” Pickering said. “As far as what we struggled with tonight, I think it was more of the preparation and pregame. We’re on the road again, and we’ve been home for a long time. Even making a short road trip can help the kids lose focus. Our job as coaches, we’ve got to learn how to help them better.”

A long trip was scheduled for week three against Jackson, Mo., but after some ongoing issues at Jackson High School, the game was moved to Edwardsville that Saturday. The Tigers then hosted O’Fallon and Belleville West.

Thanks to the Jackson game scenario, Edwardsville will have a rare six-home-game regular season.

They’ll be back at home next week against Bellville East in week seven.

As for Alton, it hits the road at East St. Louis who are 6-0 on the season.

“We play a lot of great teams in this conference,” Markle said. “Playing in this conference, we want to be competitive. We want to compete with the greats, the Edwardsvilles, the East Sides, the O’Fallons, the Bellevilles, we want to compete with these guys and that’s something we’re building toward and growing with.”

With a rather young team, he remains optimistic for the remainder of the season.

“These guys are answering and doing everything we ask them to week in and week out. We just have to keep growing and keep fighting and eventually, the pieces will fall into place.”

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