Mud, sweat and tears: Alton falls to Collinsville 33-30 in heartbreaking loss

ALTON - It was a knock down, drag out battle for the first win of the season for both teams this Friday night at Public School Stadium.

Unfortunately for one of the sides, one team was forced to walk away with the loss. There was a lot of mud with plenty of sweat and a few tears shed on the gridiron as Collinsville (1-5) grasped their first victory over Alton (0-6) with a score of 33-30.

In his team’s sixth heartbreaking loss of the season, Alton head coach Eric Dickerson noted his team’s hard work and dedication throughout the game, but wholeheartedly admitted their faults.

“I feel for the boys,” he said after the game. “They came out and fought. It’s kind of been our Achilles’ heel  — giving up the big plays. We made some mistakes at crucial times. I can tell it hurt.”

The Redbirds started off the first quarter on a positive note as Taylor Price shot the pigskin down the field for Rashad Williams to receive and rush 61 yards for the touchdown. CJ Nasello’s flawless kicking allowed Alton to take the lead at 7-0.

Shortly afterward, the Kahoks’ Trevore Sanders carried the ball 79 yards for a touchdown for his team. After a field goal kick by Austin Gavlick, the score was tied at 7 to close out the first.

The back and fourth continued into the second as Kevin Caldwell caught and made an 86-yard play to the end zone to take the lead for Alton after Nasello’s kick. The Kahoks’ easily rebutted after a fumble that allowed Sanders to take hold of the ball and score for Collinsville, after the kick, the score was tied at 14. Pushed back to the Redbirds’ end zone after the kickoff, Alton’s Charles Miller made his way in to secure a safety to take the lead at 16-14. Another solid throw from Price to Johnathan Bumpers allowed the wide receiver to further the lead to 23-14 after the the kick to close out the first half.

In the third, Collinsville’s offense made quite a comeback, locking in a touchdown after Sanders made a short 16-yard throw to his teammate. After Cavlick’s kick, the Kahoks trailed the Redbirds 23-21 at the end of the third.

As the game began to wind down, the drizzle that occurred earlier in the evening returned as a drenching downpour. The field, now soaked from the rain, made for a muddy mess during the last quarter.

The offensive push by Collinsville continued into the fourth quarter when Sanders made a 12-yard run to the end zone to take the lead over Alton 27-23. Price rebutted against the Kahoks by rushing 11 yards to score and take the lead back at 29-27. Nasello’s kick pushed the Redbirds’ score to 30-27. However, just in the knick of time, Collinsville’s Jaaron Williams brought in the winning touchdown run to allow the Kahoks to secure their victory with a score of 33-30.

With just three weeks left on the schedule, the Redbirds will make the short trip to Granite City. The Warriors, who lost in their own battle against O’Fallon 44-34 Friday evening, extends their record to 3-3 for the season. The Redbirds have yet to pull at big win on their record for the season and for Dickerson, it’s the matter of playing a full game of football.

“We still have yet to pull together a full game,” he said. “We’re capable of it, we just haven’t done it yet.”

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