IHSA Highschool Team Preview: East St. Louis Flyers

The East St. Louis Flyers play in what the people call the City of Champions, holding 12 State Titles in their history. Head Coach Darren Sunkett has three of those championships  2008 (7A), 2016 (7A), 2019 (6A) while at the helm. He has changed the game entirely in the Metro East Area of St. Louis and beyond Illinois. Coach Sunkett and Co. enter the Fall 2021 Season as the #69 Ranked Team in the U.S. while also grabbing #1 in Illinois. It doesn’t come as a surprise for how young the Flyers were in the spring and how well they played. Despite the single loss to a talented O’ Fallon Township team led by Mckendree commit [player_tooltip player_id="20229" first="Ty" last="Michael"], the Flyers dominated the competition weekly, putting up exciting numbers on both sides of the ball. With the Flyers having a challenging schedule, if they run the table, they will be one of the top teams in the country before it's all said and done. Their Motto: ALL GAS NO BRAKES Sophomore quarterback Robert "Pops" Battle has a lot on his shoulders leading the ESL Flyers this season. Still, he has veteran leadership everywhere and talented weapons around him to be successful. Starting up front with the best offensive line in the state, if not in the country led by 4-Star (5-Star coming soon) All- American #25 in U.S. Overall  [player_tooltip player_id="20841" first="Miles" last="McVay"]. You can say the same about the receiving corps as well, led by 5-Star All-American #1 WR/ #6 Overall in the U.S. [player_tooltip player_id="37529" first="Luther" last="Burden"] III and [player_tooltip player_id="157991" first="Ryan" last="Boyd"] out wide who many don’t know about quite yet, but they will after this season. This offense will control the clock and score points in bunches every week. The Flyer defense is loaded with talent lead by linebackers [player_tooltip player_id="155509" first="Jalen" last="Byrd"] and [player_tooltip player_id="20919" first="Jamol" last="Molton"] who form the best inside linebacker core in the state. The secondary or as I have labeled them "Restricted Air Space" led by [player_tooltip player_id="20928" first="Ahmad" last="Robinson"], [player_tooltip player_id="139446" first="Dallas" last="Brown"], and [player_tooltip player_id="20936" first="Lamar" last="Box"] will make it nearly impossible to pass on. [player_tooltip player_id="20908" first="Jireh" last="Mays"] holds down the defensive line that will be a constant beret of substitutions that give them fresh legs throughout the game to wreck havoc on offensive lines. <hr /> <h5><span style="text-decoration: underline;">2021 Spring Season</span><b> (5-1)</b></h5> <ul style="list-style-type: disc;"> <li> <h6>3/19- Belleville West <strong>(64-2)</strong></h6> </li> <li> <h6>3/27- Peoria <strong>(69-19)</strong></h6> </li> <li> <h6>4/2- Edwardsville <strong>(52-21)</strong></h6> </li> <li> <h6>4/9- O’Fallon <strong>(19-28)</strong></h6> </li> <li> <h6>4/16- Belleville East <strong>(</strong><strong>56-12)</strong></h6> </li> <li> <h6>4/23- Edwardsville <strong>(50-47)</strong></h6> </li> </ul> <hr /> <h4><em><b>Impact Players: </b></em></h4> [player_tooltip player_id="37529" first="Luther" last="Burden"] III <strong>(</strong><b>WR,2022, 6’2” 200lb) @lutherburden3</b> Recently has <strong>DE-COMMITTED from Oklahoma</strong>. Clearly, as a 5-Star recruit, the #1 WR in the U.S. #6 Overall, he has all the tools to play on the big stage. This fall, he looks to have a monster season, and time will tell where this exceptional student-athlete lands. State Championship is the priority for him right now with his team. [player_tooltip player_id="20841" first="Miles" last="McVay"] <strong>(OT, 2023, 6’7 345lb) @McVayMiles</strong> Miles, an All- American Offensive Tackle, is ranking 25th Overall in the U.S. and is the #1 in Illinois for C/O 2023. The ranking tells you he has the tools to play in the Power 5 as he holds offers from many of them. He is a natural leader and exceptional locker room presence. His priority is the now with his team; he wants a second State Championship. [player_tooltip player_id="155509" first="Jalen" last="Byrd"] <strong>(LB, 2022, 6’3 225lb) @JalenByrd1</strong> Jalen is one of the most underrated linebackers in the country; what he can do on the inside is unique, and it's legitimate Power 5 Talent. He is a four-year starter for the Flyers, a tackle machine who averaged 13 tackles a game and led the team in tackles (78) in the spring season. Also, he was 3rd on the team as a sophomore during the 14-0 State Championship run in 2019. Jalen is on pace to be the All-Time tackle leader in ESL Flyer history, and that is saying something with the background this program has with winning. Jalen has an exceptionally high football IQ coupled with a mass amount of athletism and can do anything on the field you ask. <h5><em><b>Players to Watch: </b></em></h5> <ul> <li> <h6>[player_tooltip player_id="20928" first="Ahmad" last="Robinson"] (CB, 2022, 6’0 176lb) Twitter @2_AhmadRobinson</h6> </li> <li> <h6>[player_tooltip player_id="20919" first="Jamol" last="Molton"] (LB,2022, 6’1 220lb) Twitter @JamolMolton7</h6> </li> <li> <h6>[player_tooltip player_id="157991" first="Ryan" last="Boyd"] ( WR 2023, 6’1 180lb) Twitter @iam_ryanboyd</h6> </li> <li> <h6>[player_tooltip player_id="155272" first="Melvin" last="Priestly"] ( OG 2022, 6’4 315lb) Twitter @melvinpriestly1</h6> </li> <li> <h6>[player_tooltip player_id="20842" first="Paris" last="Patterson"] ( OG 2023, 6’5 325lb) Twitter @p_pattersonjr</h6> </li> <li> <h6>[player_tooltip player_id="20908" first="Jireh" last="Mays"] ( DT 2022, 6’2 320lb) Twitter @jirehmays99</h6> </li> <li> <h6>[player_tooltip player_id="20936" first="Lamar" last="Box"] ( CB 2022, 6’1 170) Twitter @LamarrBox</h6> </li> <li> <h6>[player_tooltip player_id="139446" first="Dallas" last="Brown"] ( FS 2022, 6’1 170lb) Twitter @618Dallas</h6> </li> <li> <h6>[player_tooltip player_id="37712" first="Antwon" last="Hayden"] (TE 2023, 6’3 215lb) Twitter @AntwonHayden</h6> </li> <li> <h6>Kuron Parchmon (WR 2022, 5’11, 180lb) Twitter @IamKuron1</h6> </li> <li> <h6>Timothy Pitts ( C, 2023, 6’1 234) Twitter @timpitt19</h6> </li> <li> <h6>Brandon Henderson (OT, 2023, 6’5 330) Twitter @IamBee2x_</h6> </li> <li> <h6>Robert "Pops" Battle (QB, 5'10 170lb) Twitter @iiampops</h6> </li> <li> <h6>Marquise Palmer (RB, 2023, 5’ 11 195lb) Twitter @marquise_palmer</h6> </li> </ul> <hr /> <h5><span style="text-decoration: underline;">2021 Fall Schedule</span></h5> <ul> <li> <h6><b>8/27- </b>@Christian Brothers</h6> </li> <li> <h6><b>9/4-  (#1 MO.) </b>De Smet Jesuit</h6> </li> <li> <h6><b>9/10-</b> <strong>(#3 U.S.)</strong> @St. John Bosco</h6> </li> <li> <h6><b>9/18- </b>Belleville East</h6> </li> <li> <h6><b>9/25- </b>O’Fallon</h6> </li> <li> <h6><b>10/2- </b>@Belleville West</h6> </li> <li> <h6><b>10/8- </b>@Alton</h6> </li> <li> <h6><b>10/15- </b>@Edwardsville<b style="font-size: 1rem;"></b></h6> </li> <li> <h6><strong>10/22- </strong>(Jackson, MS) <strong>(#2 U.S.)</strong> IMG Academy</h6> </li> </ul> <hr /> <h5><em><b>Significant games to Watch:</b></em></h5> <ul style="list-style-type: disc;"> <li> <h6>The Flyers schedule is among the toughest in the country, starting the season in week two vs. De Smet Jesuit (St. Louis), the #1 team in Missouri in the Gateway Classic, which will be among the top games in the entire country to watch. The amount of D1 players playing on these two teams is mind-blowing, and this game is a MUST WATCH!</h6> </li> <li> <h6>Week 3 is<span style="font-size: 1rem;"> flying to #3 in the U.S. in St. John Bosco (Bellflower) in California. This will be the Game of the Week in the U.S., taking on St John Bosco, who consistently is a top-ranked team in the country every year. The talent level in this game is beyond extraordinary every scout throughout college football will be glued to this game.  </span></h6> </li> <li> <h6><span style="font-size: 1rem;"> They wrap up their season at a neutral site in Jackson, Mississippi, vs. #2 in the U.S. IMG Academy. If both teams have run the table, we could be looking at #1 vs. #2 for the season's final game before the state playoffs begin. IMG is always full of talent, so this will be a brawl between two teams in sync heading into playoffs. A fascinating matchup to check out before the playoffs that will prove to be another top game to watch that week, without a doubt. </span></h6> </li> </ul>