5 Takeaways: Althoff vs Belleville East

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This past weekend we saw Althoff square off against Belleville East in a crosstown clash.&nbsp; There were a lot of storylines in this one, but we wanted to dive into a few of the top ones here in <strong>5 Takeaways: Althoff vs Belleville East</strong>!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Explosive Start for Both Sides</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After taking in a pair of lower scoring contests early in the season it was nice to see an explosive outburst on the offensive side of the ball.&nbsp; Both teams scored within two minutes of the game.&nbsp; It was like a video game back and forth with three lead changes and 9 touchdowns in the first half!&nbsp; They were going up and down the field, but it was the big plays how most of the touchdowns were scored.&nbsp; 55 yard run, long kickoff return, 27 yard pass, 56 yard run, 86 yard run, 20 yard catch, 55 yard run, and one from 8 yards on the ground to close out the half.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Hill is Illinois' Reggie Bush</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>I have covered Althoff senior [player_tooltip player_id='201724' first='Dierre' last='Hill'] in basketball since his freshman year at Vashon and saw him in person last year on the gridiron so I knew what to expect from him.&nbsp; He took it to a whole different level!&nbsp; The Oregon commit and #2 overall prospect in the state was magnificent in the 49-21 victory against Belleville East.&nbsp; Final line as 311 yards and 4 touchdowns on just 11 carries.&nbsp; It is that feel of anticipation every time he touches the ball of what he is going to do.&nbsp; There were several times he looked completely bottled up and he juked, shifted, and got out of traffic for long runs.&nbsp; It is something you can't teach.&nbsp; He changes gears, changes field, and is so athletic!&nbsp; I'm not saying he is Reggie Bush, but the former Heisman winner is who he reminds me most of when watching him play.&nbsp; He does things you just can't believe!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Senior Stars on Althoff Defense</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Althoff is loaded with star power on the defensive side of the ball.&nbsp; They have just as many high level prospects on that side of the ball as almost anyone in the state.&nbsp; They had a shock to the system early with a 55 yard run by [player_tooltip player_id='1585239' first='Jaedon' last='Beamon'] in the opening minutes and then proceeded to give up a pair of drives down the field to cut their lead to 7.&nbsp; They didn't allow a point the rest of the way!&nbsp; Up front on the defensive line Mizzou commit [player_tooltip player_id='258001' first='Jason' last='Dowell'] controls the game against the run and pass.&nbsp; Physical use of his hands and plays with so much power!&nbsp; At the second level [player_tooltip player_id='831091' first='Drake' last='Mosley'] and [player_tooltip player_id='1292104' first='Cooper' last='Zimmer'] might be the best duo of linebackers in the state.&nbsp; Tackling machines with prototype size that bring down backs and run sideline to sideline.&nbsp; In the defensive backfield [player_tooltip player_id='1292071' first='Charleston' last='Coldon'] is one of the best corners in the state as the Boston College commit is physical and uses his length.&nbsp; [player_tooltip player_id='973848' first='Xavier' last='Chapman'] looked the part of a slot corner at the FCS level with how he broke up passes and tackled.&nbsp; Technically sound.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Belleville East Prospects in 2026 and 2027</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Despite the loss there were quite a few prospects to monitor on Belleville East especially in the sophomore and junior classes.  Junior defensive tackle [player_tooltip player_id='801701' first='Jonathan' last='Rulo'] is a big body up front.  On the edge we are super intrigued with the potential of 6'6” 2026 [player_tooltip player_id='1585157' first='Jacory' last='Brown'] who has a frame and athleticism that is primed to breakout over the next 12 months.  Really liked the fluidity and movement skills here as a potential D1 edge rusher!  Their 5'9” running back [player_tooltip player_id='1585239' first='Jaedon' last='Beamon'] emerged in this one as a homerun hitter!  [player_tooltip player_id='1344621' first='James' last='Johnson'] could end up being the best of them all as the 2027 6'2” wide out has the ability to win contested catches and has strong hands.  Lot of tools to like here!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Cross Town Rivalry for First Time in 20+ Years</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>This was the first time this game had been played in over 20 years.&nbsp; They have been in different conferences with Belleville East in the Southwestern and Althoff in the South 7 up until this year.&nbsp; They are independent now and it was great to see these two match up with smaller school Althoff showing they can play with the larger school in East.&nbsp; Ton of talent on the field and what made it cool was the unique neutral field.&nbsp; It used to be the home of Lindenwood Belleville, but since the school closed it has been redone thanks to Southwestern Illinois College and the field looked great!&nbsp; Was told this was actually the first game held there!&nbsp; It would be cool to have the three Belleville schools play a round robin on this field going forward.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->