Brown Sets Tone, Collinsville vs Althoff Catholic Top Performers

Prep Redzone had eyes down in the St. Louis area on August 21, 2026 when Collinsville came to meet Althoff Catholic in each program's season opener. Althoff Catholic finished with a 53-20 victory. Here's looking back at the names that popped in the heat of the battle Friday night.   *** Use code StopPRZ30 to slash 30% off your subscription to PrepRedzone ***   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">FOLLOW YOUR FAVORITE PROGRAMS THIS SEASON WITH PRZ SCORES!</h2>   https://prepredzone.com/illinois/high-schools/scores/    Brown set the tone on the offensive side of the ball early. Spotted Althoff an early 14-0 with two scores on the ground in goalline situations, then visited the paint a third time in the first half to extend their lead to 27-14. Brown consistently put the defense on the back foot with his suddenness and lateral quickness. Has a jump cut in traffic and makes defenders miss in the phone booth with immediate acceleration off the plant foot. Sees lanes form. Can start, stop and burst forward with notable explosiveness. Also involved in the return game.     KJ Watkins is a versatile player with some perimeter speed. Initially popped early in the first quarter with a big explosion play along the far sideline. With 23 seconds left before halftime, caught the only score through the air in the game, putting a move on the defensive back to create a release, then looking the ball in over the shoulder in the back of the endzone from 23 yards out to extend the AC lead to 33-14. Put the ball in the house once more late after a turnover, taking a handoff from 4 yards out to extend the lead again 47-20. Aligned in multiple ways offensively taking handoffs and running routes, and made an impact on defense as well making some big tackles.     Thompson started the game with an explosive run on the first play from scrimmage. Went both ways playing multiple positions on offense as well as safety on defense. Put his program up for good on a 60 yard pitch play down the near sideline after Collinsville tied the game at 14 in the 2nd quarter. Streaked like a bolt of lightning to the house. Also scored a two point conversion late in the game. Played every phase of football in the game, never came off the field. Dynamic athlete.     Popped at linebacker multiple times in the game. Has a nice frame with length and some build, said to have grown several inches and put on 20+ pounds of muscle. Comes from a football family. Plays physical and can lay a hit. Attacked the run well over the course of the night. One to watch as a potential emerging prospect in the Class of 2028.     Was the offensive spark for the Collinsville offense. Put his program on the board in the 1st quarter after going down 14-0 with an easy score from a yard out off the right side. Then in the 2nd, took a bubble screen, found a small seam and used his size and ability to burst upfield to take the ball 44 yards to the house to tie the game at 14. Finished with 12 carries for 29 yards, 2 catches for 58 yards, and 2 TD. Emerging rising senior undersized tailback that runs hard and has some decent long play speed.     Put the first score of the 2nd half on the board with a 27 yard explosion score. Took the handoff, bounced to the outside and used his speed at the corner to burst north and outrun the AC defense and trim the lead to 33-20. That was his first touch of the game and it went for 6. The young sophomore looks to have potential and worth monitoring.     The Crusaders' attack centered around their weapons and the ground game and Thacker got involved in the act late in the game. He put AC up 41-20 on a QB designed run off the right side, showed his toughness taking a hit at the goal line and fell forward for the score. Late in the 4th, Thacker salted away the 53-20 win with a 19 yard run to the paint to finish off what ended up being a dominant performance on both sides of the ball and an easy Week 1 victory.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">FOLLOW YOUR FAVORITE PROGRAMS THIS SEASON WITH PRZ SCORES!</h2>   https://prepredzone.com/illinois/high-schools/scores/   *** Use code StopPRZ30 to slash 30% off your subscription to PrepRedzone ***

Prep Redzone had eyes down in the St. Louis area on August 21, 2026 when Collinsville came to meet Althoff Catholic in each program's season opener. Althoff Catholic finished with a 53-20 victory. Here's looking back at the names that popped in the heat of the battle Friday night.