Game Previews: Belleville East vs. East St.Louis

Kyle Schuck

September 16, 2022 @ 05:30 PM

Belleville, IL - The battle is set, and I am thrilled to be in attendance to watch as the Flyers of East St.Louis take on the Lancers of Belleville East at the Lancer home stadium in Belleville. The weather is forecasted to be a hot one for a sunny fall day, with temperatures expected to be in the high 90s. Surely there will be a need for pickle juice in this contest. All spectators in attendance should be in for a treat as this game gets underway, as I expect this to be a battle to the end.   Offensive Takes - The Flyer offense from East St. Louis is anchored behind larger-than-life tackle, [player_tooltip player_id='20841' first='Miles' last='McVay'], who will be going off to play for Nick Saban and the Tide next year. This young man is a stout tackle who is nimble on his feet and shows a fantastic pass set. This pass set allows his quarterback, Robert (Pops) Battle, to sit comfy in the pocket and pick apart defenses with his spectacular arm. Pops shows a great ability at sitting in the pocket and throwing deep over coverages, as well as the innate ability to escape and break loose down the field on his feet. I look for the combination of [player_tooltip player_id='20841' first='Miles' last='McVay'] on the offensive line and [player_tooltip player_id='271286' first='Robert' last='Battle'] to lead their teammates in making this a great offensive showing for the Flyers.   The Lancers of Belleville East are led by junior quarterback [player_tooltip player_id='354274' first='Darron' last='Millender Jr'], who is coming off a solid game that saw him pushing the ball downfield. Darron is a quarterback who is not afraid to throw the deep ball and will absolutely take his shots; however, he is coming off a multiple pic game. I look for Darron to reel it in and throw the accurate deep ball to his targets. Speaking of targets, the Lancers have a large and mobile receiver in senior Jordan Pickett. Pickett is a fantastic target for his quarterback as he is someone who wins his one-on-ones and can then push vertically quickly. I look for the Lancer's offense to come out hot this Saturday.   Defensive Takes - On the other side of the ball, the Lancers of Belleville East have a stout defensive lineman leading the charge for them in Anthony Cunningham Jr., who will be heading off to play for the Cyclones of Iowa State next year. Naturally, I am thrilled to see the big man battle up front between Anthony on the defensive line for the Lancers and Miles on the offensive line for the Flyers, two young men going to play at the FBS ranks next year. Anthony is a powerful big man with immense strength in his lower half and shows this through his explosiveness off the line. Once past the opposing offensive lineman, Anthony has the quickness to collapse on quarterbacks. When opposing blockers struggle to block Anthony, [player_tooltip player_id='365354' first='OJ' last='Mosley'] fills in the holes and gives just as much trouble, making it a nightmare for opposing offenses to handle the Lancer defensive line. OJ is a just as capable defensive lineman for the Lancers who has a motor that does not quit. I am excited to see this fantastic defensive line take on an equally adept offensive line across from them. We should be in for a showing, no doubt.   The defense of the East St.Louis Flyers is as equally stacked as their offense, with MLB [player_tooltip player_id='266356' first='Antwon' last='Hayden'], an Illinois commit, anchoring the Flyer Defense. Antwon is a truly versatile backer who can play all over and has a high football IQ. This young man reads the field and what is in front of him and reacts quickly, often coming down to make his imprint on the defensive plays. Antwon has excellent size in the middle and can play stout to stop anything coming up the middle. On the outside, there is [player_tooltip player_id='267730' first='Marquise' last='Palmer'], who has started to dabble on the defensive side of the ball. Previously listed as a running back, this young man has been making some exhilarating plays on the defensive side of the ball. Marquise has been flying around the field and making hit-stick tackles. Marquise has his nose in every play and is a genuine downhill hybrid linebacker. A pass over the middle is indeed a mistake when Marquise is there. I am looking forward to watching the Flyer defense perform.   We should have a phenomenal matchup this weekend in Southern Illinois with several players on both sides who will be playing at the next level. I predict this to be a defensive battle throughout the game, with the Flyers pulling out victorious at the end. Overall, this is a game I am thrilled to be attending.

Belleville, IL - The battle is set, and I am thrilled to be in attendance to watch as the Flyers of East St.Louis take on the Lancers of Belleville East at the Lancer home stadium in Belleville. The weather is forecasted to be a hot one for a sunny fall day, with temperatures expected to be in the high 90s. Surely there will be a need for pickle juice in this contest. All spectators in attendance should be in for a treat as this game gets underway, as I expect this to be a battle to the end.