EAST ST. LOUIS – Often the end is sudden, unexpected. Great plans are made and then upended.
So it was on Saturday for Richards. The Bulldogs walked into Clyde C. Jordan Memorial Stadium hopeful, knowing they were playing a fleet favorite in the East St. Louis Flyers, but believing they had a chance in the 6A semifinal.
They walked out with their season over after a 48-0 loss.
The Bulldogs (11-2) gathered at the north end of the field, listening to coach Tony Sheehan telling them they had achieved a lot, becoming only the ninth Richards team to advance to the semifinal round since the IHSA playoffs began in 1974.
“We wanted to try to kind of slow things down, try to run the ball and get a couple yards here, a couple here, a couple here,” Sheehan said. “It didn’t work out that way. It’s a tough one today.”
While East St. Louis moves on to Saturday’s 6A championship, its 14th such appearance, against Geneva, for some Richards seniors it was the last football game they’ll play.
And some of those include former Worth-Ridge Panthers, a youth football organization in Worth and Chicago Ridge founded in 1969 and closed during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, as much by a lack of volunteers as by the pandemic itself.
“We have a bond,” safety Seamus Doyle said. “These are the same people I’ve been playing football and other sports with since I was a little kid. That bond. So it really hurts.”
In Doyle’s case, he recalled being 7 or 8 when he first suited up. A decade goes by fast.
“We’ve just been together forever,” linebacker Nathan Cole said. “This is kind of the end of it. We split from here on. I don’t want to say it’s the end of us, but … we’re growing up. It’s life.”
Austin Synoga said the experience from Panthers to Bulldogs was “definitely something special. The coaches that coached us down low, growing up, gave us a name. We bonded with each other after that effort for that long. That was way different from anybody else. It gave us an advantage to play with confidence every game, every quarter, every down.
“But it’s got to come to an end some day. You’ve got to take the step away.”
Chase Dryier was close to tears after the game.
“I’ve grown up with these guys,” Dryier said. “Been through everything with these guys.”
As for the game, East St. Louis dominated from the start. Flyers quarterback Kendrick Lyons hit receiver Kortez Rupert on a 44-yard touchdown pass against double coverage 64 seconds in. It was 21-0 after a quarter, 28-0 at the half, and 41-0 after three quarters.
The Flyers defensive line was impossible to get through, especially with Richards’ line not at full strength. Lead back Myles Mitchell was held to 6 yards on 13 carries.
East St. Louis outgained Richards 456-19, with a 278-9 rushing edge. Flyers back TaRyan Martin ran for 146 yards in nine attempts, including scores from 43 and 65 yards out in the second half.