Coming off a big loss to 3rd-ranked Edwardsville last week, the Kahoks will attempt to earn their first conference win on homecoming against another top 10-ranked team.
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The O’Fallon Panthers (2-1 Southwestern Conference, 3-2 overall) come into the Friday matchup at Kahok Stadium smarting from a 55-38 loss to Belleville West (No. 6 in Class 7A), but still ranked 10th among Illinois Class 8A schools by the Associated Press.
Collinsville’s pass defense will have to perform better than last week, when the Kahoks yielded 330 yards to Edwardsville’s Dan Marinko in the 48-0 loss. Collinsville Head Coach John Blaylock said the defenders were often less than a step out of place against the Tigers, but that is difference against good teams. Blaylock expects the Panthers to see if his team has improved in one week.
The Kahoks (0-3 SWC, 1-4 overall) welcome back three linebackers who missed the game last week due to injury. The healthy defenders do not fix the offensive problems, Blaylock said, “but I think we have a much better chance when we’re at or near full strength.”
Sophomore quarterback Camden Bauer, who leads the conference in passing yards, attempts and completions, will test the healthier Kahoks’ defense, which has a new starting cornerback. Sophomore Jeremiah Danford will start for Collinsville this week. Seniors Dennis Kress and Ryan Brunton are in a battle to start opposite Danford. The Panthers will run some three wide receiver sets, so all three will likely see action.
Bauer threw for 560 of his league-leading 1181 yards in the defeat to Belleville West last week. He also threw for five touchdowns and four interceptions. Collinsville hopes to add to Bauer’s league-high nine interceptions, and hopes for a better result than last year, when they forced seven Panther turnovers, but still lost 31-7.
Junior wide receiver Tae’Mon Franklin’s 458 yards lead the Southwestern Conference. Fellow junior wide receiver Klatyton Gettis has hauled in 31 passes, also good for tops in the conference. To make things more difficult for the Kahoks, sophomore running back Kentrail Moran leads the league in both rushing (527) and total yards (601).
The Kahoks will counter with their most effective offensive weapon, junior running back Jamal Wellmaker, who is fifth in total yards (480) and third in rushing (471). Wellmaker will be joined in the backfield by two underclassmen who are getting a chance to prove themselves at the varsity level.
Sophomore Zach Hammel-Brown and freshman Trevore Sanders will both be looking forward to their first carry of the year Friday. Sanders played against Edwardsville, but did not tally a carry or a catch. Hammel-Brown will be playing in his first varsity game.
New starting offensive tackle Tanner Hails, a sophomore, and the rest of the Kahoks offensive line will have all they can handle with the Panther’s 4-star defensive end, senior Dewayne Hendrix. The 6-foot 5-inch, 265-pound Hendrix was the recipient of a helicopter visit from Missouri Head Coach Gary Pinkel during a game earlier this season. ESPN reports that Hendrix has scholarship offers from 21 colleges. He will visit Tennessee Saturday.
Keeping the team focused on Hendrix and O’Fallon’s other weapons, despite all of the homecoming distractions is a challenge the coaches have been managing all week, Blaylock said. “Some teams you want to play on homecoming…because they have their head everywhere else except the football game,” Blaylock said.
Kick off is 7 p.m. Friday at Kahok Stadium. The game will be streamed live at kahoksports.com.
