Belleville West’s starting quarterback Friday had not played the position since little league, but that did not stop him from leading the Maroons to a 41-20 victory over the Kahoks Friday.
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With junior quarterback Sherand Boyd injured, senior running back Brian Hill took over responsibilities behind center for Belleville West (4-1 Southwestern Conference, 6-1 overall). The Maroons’ leading rusher, and the conference’s leading scorer, Hill used his legs to rush for 109 yards and two scores. He surprised Collinsville (0-5 SWC, 1-6 overall) by completing 5 of 7 passes for 94 yards.
Hill also gave the Kahoks an unwanted heavy dose of junior running back Antoine Davis, who matched his season total with four touchdowns and topped 200 yards rushing. The Kahoks gamble that Davis would be less dangerous than Hill did not work out. Acting head coach Mark Jiles said part of the Kahoks’ plan was to force Hill to get rid of the ball.
“We were trying to get the ball out of Hill’s hands because Hill is their best athlete, so we try someone else to beat us,” Jiles said.
Jiles was coaching in place of Head Coach John Blaylock, who missed his second game for what school officials called a personnel matter. By law, they cannot comment further.
Things started well for the Kahoks when they recovered an onside kick to open the game. They drove to the Belleville West 12 before senior quarterback Connor Zabala bobbled the snap and the Maroons recovered the fumble on their own 10-yard line.
After a quick three and out for the Maroons, the Kahoks were again on the march. Zabala went 48 yards to the 10-yard line on a quarterback keeper, but a block in the back during the play brought the ball back to the 20. Junior fullback Jordan Miller fumbled on the next play.
Two red zone turnovers on the first two drives of the game were a momentum shift. “If we don’t make those turnovers, we score, and it’s a different game,” Jiles said.
The Kahoks forced another three and out after the Miller fumble, but their defense could not hold after junior running back Jamal Wellmaker fumbled on the Kahoks 36, the team’s third turnover in their first three possessions. Hill sprinted through Collinsville’s defense on the next play from scrimmage for a 36-yard touchdown, putting the Maroons up 7-0.
Collinsville was opportunistic when Belleville West turned the ball over for the first time. After Hill fumbled on a punt return, Zabala hit junior wide receiver Anfirnee Wilkinson on a slant that Wilkinson took 47 yards for his first touchdown of the season.
West responded with a no-huddle offense that marched downfield. Hill capped the scoring drive on a 15-yard quarterback keeper. The extra point attempt failed, giving the Maroons a 13-7 lead with 10 minutes to go in the first.
Davis scored the first of his four touchdowns on the Maroons next possession, and Belleville West went into the half with a 20-7 lead.
After an inspired Collinsville opening drive to the second half, capped with a Jordan Miller 10-yard touchdown run, the deficit was less than a touchdown. Jiles hopes that the drive would inspire his team were quickly dashed when Belleville West marched downfield on its first possession and Davis scored from one yard out.
“We didn’t get the excitement to say we’re in the game, we’ve got a chance to beat these guys,” Jiles said. “I think we were content to just score instead of saying, ‘hey, we can beat these guys,’ that’s what kind of bothered me a little bit.”
Davis sprinted untouched from 36 yards out on the Maroons’ next possession to put the team up 34-14. He capped Belleville West’s scoring on a 52-yard burst with 4:14 remaining in the contest.
Collinsville sophomore, backup quarterback Jordan Reichart hit Zabala on a 19-yard strike with 1:13 remaining. Reichart threw the pass high into the end zone for Zabala, who cut in front of the defender to snatch his first receiving touchdown. The two-point conversion attempt failed.
The victory clinched a playoff spot for Belleville West. Collinsville returns home to face Alton at 7 p.m. Friday on Senior Night. The game will be broadcast on Kahoksports.com.
