Frey Takes 21-Yard Pass From Weaver Into End Zone with 9.2 Seconds Left, Tigers Pull Out Dramatic 41-39 Win

BELLEVILLE - Wide receiver Gavin Frey caught a 21-yard pass from quarterback Yale Weaver and fought his way into the end zone with 9.2 seconds left in regulation to give Edwardsville a dramatic 41-39 win over Belleville East on the Lancers’ homecoming game Friday night, Sept. 27, 2025, at Charlie Woodford Field in Belleville.

Frey’s winning touchdown came after East quarterback Kayden Wood had snuck into the end zone on a one-yard run with 55.9 seconds left to bring the Lancers back to a 39-35 lead, coming back from a 35-20 early in the second half.

“Belleville East is a good team,” said Tigers head coach Kelsey Pickering, “we know that. We knew that coming in, and obviously, trying to match what they’ve got, because they’re 4-0. Now, it’s conference play, and we’re 2-0 in conference, play, we’re continuing to build, and that’s a big positive. The kids work hard, our coaches work hard, and it’s nice to see that reward. The reality of the night probably might have been we just ran out of clock. Both teams would have probably kept scoring, so, it’s always great to be on this side of the win.”

The Tigers have bounced back greatly, and are now 2-3 overall, going into next week’s game at home against East St. Louis.

“We talk about conference; it’s a big deal for us,” Pickering said. “So, we’re excited where we’re at, we’ll enjoy this one tonight, clean it up tomorrow, and get back to work for next week.”

There is still plenty of good football ahead in the final four weeks of the campaign, and Pickering and his team are looking ahead to the stretch run.Belleville East did rally in the second half to take the lead in the final minute, coming back from 35-20 down to go ahead, and it’s something that the Lancers can hang their hat on.

After both teams were held on their first series, the Lancers got on the board first on a one-yard run by Josh Ware to put East ahead 7-0. Edwardsville climaxed a drive at the start of the second quarter on a four-yard touchdown pass from Weaver to Devyon Hill-Lomax to tie the game 7-7, then took the lead for the first time later on when Weaver ran in from one yard out to give the Tigers the edge 14-7 with 6:57 left in the first half.

It took the Lancers only 2:01 to tie the game up, as Ware ran in from 23 yards out to tie the game 14-14, but it only took the Tigers two plays to take back the lead with 4:31 left in the half, when Frey took a pass from Weaver 65 yard to the end zone to give Edwardsville a 21-14 lead. A late three-play drive ended with Frey taking a 30-yard touchdown pass into the end zone with 1:06 left in the first half to give the Tigers a 28-14 halftime lead.

The Lancers held in the first possession of the second half, then came back with a drive and a 14-yard touchdown pass from Wood to James Johnson, but the conversion kick was blocked, making the score 28-20. The Tigers struck in two plays again, as Hill-Lomax took a swing pass from Weaver, and galloped 79 yards for the touchdown that made the score 35-20 with 7:47 left in the third quarter.

East launched its comeback with an 18-yard strike to Anthony Hych, but again had the PAT blocked, making the score 35-26. With 7:47 left in regulation, Wood hit Dejuan Cotton from 11 yards away to cut the Tiger lead to 35-33, and plenty of time left.

East got the ball back with 3:12 to go, and marched 55 yards down the field, getting key runs from Ware for a combined 32 yards, and finished the drive in the final minute on Wood’s one-yard sneak to give the Lancers the lead at 39-35. The ensuing kickoff went into the end zone for a touchback, setting Edwardsville up at the 20 with less than a minute and no timeouts left.

Weaver passed his way to the East 21, and faced a fourth-and-two situation, throwing the ball to Frey, who fought his way into the end zone with 9.2 seconds left to give the Tigers the 41-39 win. A final play came up short for the Lancers, giving Edwardsville the victory

Edwardsville is now 2-3, and meets up with East St. Louis next Friday at Tiger Stadium in their homecoming game, while the Lancers go to 4-1, and travel to Alton next week, with both games slated to start at 7 p.m.

Dan Brannan also contributed to this story.

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