The Belleville West Maroons will take on the O'Fallon Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Belleville West has given up an average of 35.4 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Belleville West's offense might be in the hot seat on Friday considering what happened against East St. Louis on Friday. They were beaten by the Flyers 67-0. While losing is never fun, the Maroons can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Illinois football rankings (they are ranked 187th, while the Flyers are ranked first).
Meanwhile, O'Fallon had to endure a three-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. They put the hurt on Alton with a sharp 23-3 victory on Friday.
O'Fallon's win came from a few key players Belleville West will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Samuel McCollum, who rushed for 73 yards and one touchdown on only five carries. Another player making a difference was Luka Freidenberg, who rushed for 107 yards and one TD.
O'Fallon's run defense was locked in: Alton could only muster 3.2 yards per carry. While six picked up at least two total tackles, McCollum stood above the rest. He rushed for 73 yards and one score on only five carries. O'Fallon didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 6.4.
O'Fallon didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Jesse Flores and McCollum.
The win was their first at home , bumping their record up to 2-3. As for Belleville West, they now have a losing record of 2-3.
Belleville West couldn't quite finish off O'Fallon in their previous matchup back in October of 2024 and fell 18-15. Can the Maroons avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
