East St. Louis-CBC: Game Recap & Players of the Game

St. Louis area football fans had to wait a year for the much-anticipated rematch between East St. Louis and Christian Brothers College High School, originally scheduled for last season, but the heavyweight cross-state showdown on Friday night turned out to be worth the wait and lived up to the billing. In the first meeting between the schools, back in 2016, host East St. Louis overcame a late deficit to pull out a victory in the final seconds. This time around, visiting East St. Louis took control of a back-and-forth offensive shootout with a 55-yard touchdown reception by standout [player_tooltip player_id="37529" first="Luther" last="Burden"] III with 7 minutes 34 seconds remaining to pull out a 48-44 road victory before a sold-out crowd. East St. Louis (1-0) racked up 554 total yards of offense (323 passing, 231 rushing), scored six touchdowns and converted six 2-point conversions, which ended up being a key factor in the victory. CBC (0-1) accumulated 582 total yards of offense (410 passing, 172 rushing), scored six touchdowns and kicked a field goal, but the Cadets also missed a field goal and had a failed 2-point conversion. PLAYERS OF THE GAME East St. Louis [player_tooltip player_id="37529" first="Luther" last="Burden"] III, 6-2, 200, WR, Class of 2022 The top prospect in the game put his stamp on the victory with two touchdowns – an 85-yard punt return to open the scoring in the first quarter and a 55-yard reception to cap the scoring in the fourth. He finished with 88 receiving yards on four receptions. Burden, who transferred from Cardinal Ritter to East St. Louis last year, is one of the top prospects in the country and showed again on Friday night how he can change a game with his dynamic playmaking ability. Robert Battle, 6-0, 174, QB, Class of 2024 Battle impressed this spring as a freshman leading the Flyers after [player_tooltip player_id="20203" first="Tyler" last="Macon"] graduated early to enroll at Missouri and he impressed again on Friday night in a big test. The sophomore completed 16 of 30 passes for 323 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. He also ran for 34 yards and a touchdown. Battle has a lot of dangerous weapons around him as well as one of the best offensive lines you’ll find in high school football, but he still has to manage the offense, make good decisions and make plays. The youngster played with poise beyond his years and passed his first test of the season. [player_tooltip player_id="37526" first="Ali" last="Wells"], 5-11, 184, RB, Class of 2022 Wells, who starred at Lutheran North before transferring to East St. Louis this summer, rushed 23 times for 149 yards and a touchdown and added two 2-point conversion runs. He’s a strong back with good size and speed and he’s going to have a monster year running behind the Flyers’ gigantic offensive line. Jaden Hale, 5-6, 150, WR, Class of 2022 Hale ended up as East Side’s leading receiver with four catches for 117 yards. He’s a smaller receiver but can use his speed and elusiveness to make a big impact. [player_tooltip player_id="155509" first="Jalen" last="Byrd"], 6-1, 210, SS, Class of 2022 Byrd was a difference-maker on defense for the Flyers, racking up 10 tackles and a team-high two sacks. Others: Safety [player_tooltip player_id="139446" first="Dallas" last="Brown"] (6-1, 190, 2022) had a team-high 13 tackles, including 12 solos, and was all over the field. ... Clemson cornerback commit [player_tooltip player_id="37524" first="Toriano" last="Pride"] (5-11, 187, 2022) had seven tackles and added two receptions for 17 yards. ... The East Side offensive line, led by massive maulers Myles McVay (6-7, 345, 2023) and [player_tooltip player_id="20842" first="Paris" last="Patterson"] Jr. (6-5, 330, 2023), deserves a lot of credit for opening running lanes and protecting their quarterback. ... Linebacker [player_tooltip player_id="37712" first="Antwon" last="Hayden"] (6-3, 220, 2023) had nine tackles and his brother, defensive lineman Keshawn Hayden (6-2, 220, 2023) added eight tackles. The Hayden brothers transferred to East St. Louis this summer from Duchesne High in suburban St. Louis. CBC [player_tooltip player_id="37608" first="Patrick" last="Heitert"], 6-0, 190, QB, Class of 2022 Heitert completed 18 of 35 passes for 410 yards – just two yards shy of the school record – and two touchdown passes, including a 48-yarder to [player_tooltip player_id="171843" first="Justus" last="Johnson"] with 10:19 remaining that gave CBC the lead. If anyone had any doubts about how good of a quarterback Heitert is, he answered those on Friday. Heitert was under duress for much of the night, but stepped up to the challenge and gave his team a chance to win against the toughest opponent they are likely to face this season. [player_tooltip player_id="37675" first="Tyler" last="Gant"], 6-4, 270, DL, Class of 2023 Gant saw some time on the varsity as a freshman and then stepped into a bigger role a year ago as a sophomore. After racking up several Division I offers in the offseason, he emerged Friday night with a breakthrough performance that included a team-high 12 tackles, a sack and an interception (on a batted ball). Both teams struggled with the excessive heat for the season opener and the Cadets had several key players cramping up throughout the game. Gant was able to stay in there, play a significant amount of snaps and make a difference against an East St. Louis line that features multiple Division I prospects. [player_tooltip player_id="171843" first="Justus" last="Johnson"], 6-2, 170, WR-CB, Class of 2022 Johnson emerged as a Division I prospect as a cornerback this offseason after showing off his impressive speed at camps, but he made his mark on the offensive side of the ball on Friday. Johnson, who had primarily played cornerback the past two seasons, is now also seeing time on offense and caught four passes for 94 yards and a touchdown against the Flyers. [player_tooltip player_id="171848" first="Ayden" last="Robinson-Wayne"], 5-11, 170, WR-QB-DB, Class of 2022 Robinson-Wayne, who is also a Division I baseball prospect, thrived as CBC’s starting quarterback as a sophomore and a year ago as a junior before suffering an injury that opened the door for Heitert to claim the job. Now Robinson-Wayne is showing how dynamic of a playmaker he is after switching to wide receiver (and also playing some defensive back when needed). Robinson-Wayne caught two passes on Friday but turned them into 99 yards and a touchdown. His 86-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter gave CBC a brief 10-8 lead and showed that the Cadets were ready to compete against the favored and top-ranked Flyers. [player_tooltip player_id="171842" first="Kendall" last="Huston"], 6-2, 190, OLB-S, Class of 2022 Huston had a breakthrough season a year ago as a first-year starter, but his numbers were limited by the COVID-shortened season. On Friday, he once again showed he can make an impact as an outside linebacker chasing down ballcarriers and quarterbacks as he racked up 10 tackles and a sack. Huston has seven sacks in seven games dating back to the start of his junior season in 2020. [player_tooltip player_id="171841" first="Dylan" last="Van"]/[player_tooltip player_id="103779" first="Jeremiyah" last="Love"]/[player_tooltip player_id="37738" first="Ralph" last="Dixon"], RBs, Class of 2023 We can’t pick just one here because each of CBC’s three junior running backs showed something on Friday night. Van, a 6-foot, 185-pounder, carried 10 times for 70 yards and a touchdown. Love, a 6-2, 195-pounder with an early offer from Missouri, was limited by an injury but showed his incredible speed and athleticism with an 81-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Dixon is a smaller back at 5-7 and 170 pounds, but he had 36 yards rushing and two touchdowns on just seven carries. Dixon saw some mop-up duty a year ago as a sophomore and was productive. In 21 carries at the varsity level, he now has 200 yards rushing and four touchdowns. Others: Ball State commitment [player_tooltip player_id="37539" first="Blair" last="Schonhorst"] (6-0, 180, 2022) performed well at his cornerback spot. He only had four tackles, but did a good job in coverage against Burden and Co. ... Wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id="172629" first="Gavin" last="Conley"] (5-8, 160, 2022) has emerged as a contributor after a strong offseason. He finished with a team-high six catches for 59 yards, including a first-quarter reception where he ran through two East St. Louis defenders. ... Sophomore wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id="126237" first="Jeremiah" last="McClellan"] (6-1, 180, 2024) made his first varsity start and the Division I prospect had a strong showing with three catches for 59 yards. ... Sophomore wide receiver [player_tooltip player_id="126218" first="Jared" last="Steward"] (5-7, 160) had a 50-yard reception in the first half. ... The CBC offensive line can’t match the size of their East St. Louis counterparts, but have some prospects to watch in [player_tooltip player_id="37708" first="Levi" last="McGee"] (6-2, 300, 2023), [player_tooltip player_id="171840" first="Josh" last="Gregory"] (6-7, 260, 2023) and sophomore [player_tooltip player_id="126244" first="Bryce" last="Parson"] (6-3, 280) and those guys held up well against the Flyers’ athletic defense. McGee is making the switch from guard to center and Gregory made his first start at offensive tackle after not playing football as a freshman and playing a few snaps on defense as a sophomore. You can follow Nate Latsch on Twitter at <a href="http://www.twitter.com/natelatsch">@natelatsch</a>.