
EAST ST. LOUIS — Reece Shanklin threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score as East St. Louis used a 28-point second quarter to defeat Chicago St. Patrick 72-12 on Friday night at Clyde C. Jordan Memorial Stadium, advancing to the IHSA Class 7A football quarterfinals.
The Flyers will host Mt. Prospect next weekend for their third consecutive home playoff game. Mt. Prospect defeated Rockford Guilford Catholic 50-10 on Friday night. The IHSA office will announce the quarterfinal dates and times Monday afternoon.
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Chris Jackson opened the scoring with a 40-yard touchdown run to give East St. Louis a 7-0 lead. The Flyers added a safety before Shanklin connected with Emurion Jackson on a 31-yard touchdown pass, extending the lead to 16-0 after the first quarter.
East St. Louis widened the margin early in the second quarter with a 50-yard punt-return touchdown. On the Shamrocks’ next possession, Amori Coleman intercepted a pass and returned it 30 yards for a score, putting the Flyers ahead 30-0.
Shanklin followed with a 20-yard touchdown run and a 30-yard scoring pass to Raheem Floyd. The Flyers led 44-0 at halftime, triggering the running clock rule for the second half.
Ronnie Gomiller opened the second-half scoring with a 60-yard touchdown run, and Jahmori Ware added a 20-yard scoring run to make it 58-0. St. Patrick scored a touchdown but missed the conversion, leaving East St. Louis ahead 58-6 after three quarters.
The Flyers added a rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter but missed the conversion to make it 64-6. The teams then exchanged touchdowns. East St. Louis converted a two-point attempt, while St. Patrick missed its conversion, bringing the final score to 72-12.