
COLLINSVILLE – Senior quarterback Dean Williams scored three touchdowns in the second half, including a 70-yard run, as Edwardsville broke open a tight game in the second half and went on to a 37-7 win over Collinsville in the regular season football finale Friday night at Kahok Stadium.
The win clinched an IHSA playoff berth for the Tigers, who end the regular season 405 for the second straight year, while the Kahoks finish at 3-6, and their playoff fate hanging in the balance.
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Edwardsville struck on their opening possession of the game, when Williams connected with Harvey Wallace from 61 yards out to give the Tigers a 7-0 lead with 8:17 left in the first quarter. The Edwardsville defense bent but didn’t break throughout much of the first half, getting big stops when they needed it.
The Tigers extended their lead in the second quarter on a 35-yard field goal by Luke Garman to make it 10-0 with inside five minutes left in the first half, but Collinsville came back before the end of the half and got a three-yard touchdown run from quarterback Jaiden McCoy to cut the lead to 10-7 at halftime.
The Tigers scored on their opening possession of the second half, getting a 13-yard run from Williams to make it 17-7, later getting a six-yard run by Williams to make the score 23-7 after the conversion was missed, and Williams broke loose on his 70-yard touchdown run with 10:33 left in regulation to make it 30-7. Edwardsville added a late touchdown on a seven-yard run by King Winfrey to make the final score 37-7.
The playoff fates of both teams will be determined when the IHSA releases the playoff pairings in the annual statewide television broadcast at 9 p.m. on Saturday.