08/28/2025
BY JACK BULLOCK
CARBONDALE - With the impending conference changes in the Mississippi Division of the Cahokia Conference has one last go-round with the six schools who have been together for a few seasons now.

It is musical chairs, with schools hoping to not be the last one without a place to sit.

Out with Salem after this coming school year where they will head to the SIRR Ohio Division.

Entering the league in August of 2026 will be Centralia, Jerseyville, Waterloo and Bethalto Civic Memorial.

Which will make the division much larger.

Roxana, which would have been moved to the smaller school Illinois Division, voted to go Independent in football only.

However the other member schools disapproved of that decision.

By a 15-1 vote the membership voted to remove the Shells from the league in all sports beginning in 2026-27.

This will make this season the final one for Roxana and Salem.

As for 2025-26, the Central Cougars are still the ones to beat in the Mississippi race.

Coach Brian Short has this program as one of the top ones in southern Illinois and, with a bit of luck last year, they might have made it to the 4A semifinals.

They graduated a trio of players who are playing college football as we speak.

Long time member Columbia and head coach Scott Horner finished 6-3 in the regular season before a first round 4A playoff loss to Cahokia.

Four key offensive weapons graduated but the guys on the line last fall return.

Roxana has produced three consecutive playoff appearances for head coach Wade DeVries and finished second to Breese Central in 2024.

They suffered from graduation losses as well but some others are ready to move up, including some transfers into the program.

East Alton-Wood River, after a playoff run in 2023, have struggled recently for Coach Gary Herron.

But the Oilers have some players returning with experience with just three key seniors from last season's 1-8 club having departed in the spring.

Salem stumbled home at 2-7 overall for Coach Kevin Greene but in the final season in the Cahokia they might surprise some clubs.

Head coach Brian Short put together a winning attitude when he took over the Breese Central football program back in 2007-08.

It took a couple of seasons when he first arrived, but the Cougars have been on a roll with 12 playoff appearances in 18 seasons.

The last six seasons, not counting the Covid19 spring, Central has six playoff berths.

Last fall, the Cougars picked up their first ever road playoff win and they reached the quarterfinals before dropping a 17-3 decision at home to Mt. Zion in the 4A playoffs.

Breese Central lost some key kids to graduation from a club that set a school record for wins (11-1).

The top player on the squad was two-year starter and ASV “Player of the Year” Preston Baker.

The 6-2, 185 senior signal caller completed 127-of-200 passing for 2,489-yards and 32 TD's as a senior last fall.

In fact, he and two of his senior teammates from last season are playing college football at powerhouse Division III North Central College in Naperville, Illinois.

Griffen Becker and Kaden Rakers, joined Baker in the defending national championship program. The Cardinals have won three such titles.

Anthony Huegen, another Central grad, is at DIII Rose-Hulman in Terre Haute (IN.).

With starters Carter Deien, Owen Schomaker, Kyle MacDoanld and
Dugan Schwiekert also leaving after their senior year, Coach Short will have much to do in preparing the Cougars for a pretty strong schedule.

There are some players returning for Breese Central that were in the system a season ago.

Five-ten senior running back Cole Davis is back for the Cougars.

Davis rushed 78-times for 409-yards and eight touchdowns for BC as a junior.

Linebacker Jackson Kampwerth, a 6-2 senior, led the Cougars in tackles last fall with 119 total.

Running back Kameron Biggs, a 5-8 senior, added 313-yards on the ground.

Six-foot senior Clayton Jansen is a tight end and defensive lineman who returns along with 6-foot senior lineman Brody Beckmann.

Back to the offense Landon Baker, a 6-1 senior, is another running back that gives the squad even more alternatives.

Ean Kehrer, a 6-1 tight end, 5-10 senior center Brett Deering, 6-1 lineman Landry Watts and 6-2 senior linebacker/wide reciever Bryce Wieter are part of a senior group that now have a turn at showing what they can do in prime time.

Coach Short isn't short on roster strength as Central has some other athletes that should become contributors.

Five-eleven senior Max Albers is an offensive threat at wide receiver and he, like the rest of the players on the list, will have double-duty on both sides of the line of scrimmage.

Another of the Baker Boys, 6-2 senior lineman Dalton Baker, and 5-9 senior Nate Behrmann, are starters at wide out and strong safety on defense respectfully.

Conlan Haar is a 5-11 senior wide receiver/defensive back, and 6-4 Bennett Becker, a junior lineman, will give the Cougars more size upfront.

Perhaps the biggest change for Central will come at quarterback as 6-foot sophomore Owen Kehrer gets the nod as he has some big shoes to fill.

The good news is that he will have plenty of talent surrounding him in Week #1 as Breese Central will take on Effingham on the road.

With the success that Roxana has had in the past three seasons, head coach Wade DeVries is counting on some seniors to step up this season and replace what was the last of a three-year playoff burst for the program.

Roxana, in its recent run, went 26-8 which included a 12-1 3A semifinal appearance in 2023.

ASV 3A “Player of the Year” Andruw Ellis graduated and is playing D-I football and Northern Illinois University.

He is one of 15 seniors that had uniforms to turn in at the end of a playoff loss to Tolono Unity (44-31) to close the book at 7-3 in 2024.

The Shells will break in a new quarterback with 6-5 junior Cohen Dugan.

Roxana will have a bevy of running backs to choose from, according to Coach DeVries.

Five-ten senior Mason Crump, 5-10 senior Max Autery, 6-2 senior Sean Maberry, and 5-8 senior Brandon Green are holdovers from last season with Maberry switching from quarterback to running back.

Two transfers; 5-8 junior Ra'Shad Murrell comes in from Alton and 5-5 sophomore Mehki Shorter comes in from East Alton-Wood River.

Coach DeVries added Dalton Carriker, a 5-11 senior who is a wide receiver and a defensive backfield specialist to the preview list.

Tight end duties are assigned to 6-4 junior Aiden Stemm and senior Garrett Broadfoot, who at 6-10 is one of the tallest receivers you will see in the state.

Coach D is looking for some strong defense and offensive line play.

Five-nine senior Robert Horton, 6-1 senior Lyndon Thies, 6-1 senior Logan Prater and 5-6 senior Andy Nguyen will fill the roles on the offensive line.

Prater was all-conference a year ago.

On the other side of the ball will be Bennett Luck, a 6-2, 295 sophomore, and Terry Styles, a 5-10 senior.

The linebackers are perhaps the most the experienced of the squad, with Prater, Autery and Theis all seeing action last fall.

Carriker and Green as the only two with experience returning in the back line of the defense.

“We have really turned the roster over the past couple years. We are going to rely heavily on our seniors this year. We are going to need strong contributions from people with little to no varsity experience,” said Coach DeVries.

He has won a ton of games as the head coach of the Columbia Eagles and last season head coach Scott Horner turned a down 2023 into a stellar 2024.

The Eagles went from a 3-6 campaign without a playoff berth to a 6-4 turnaround.

Although Columbia lost to Cahokia in the 4A opening round, it proved once again that it is tough to keep good programs down for long.

Most of the offensive skill position players graduated.

Most notably quarterback Mason Voegele.

Running backs and linebackers Logan Hicks and Cam Janik plus tight end and defensive end Hudson Bryant are gone.

However the entire offensive and defensive line unit returns with experience heading into 2025.

Three-year starters 6-2, 285 Owen Menke is back and, with 5-10, 215 senior Broedy Furlow and Lincoln Corbin, 6-2, 300 senior, the trio gives the Eagles size where it counts.

Kason Moskop, a 5-10 junior fullback/linebacker, is back as the top four have a wealth of varsity playing time in tow.

Six-foot, 220 junior lineman Dane Queveraux has been a part of the lineup since last season.

The skill guys and how well they can step forward will be key to the season.

Five-elever senior wide receiver and linebacker Keegan Thompson and 5-10 senior wide receiver/linebacker Cooper Weik are stepping up.

Jase Nelson, a 5-10 senior running back/defensive back will likely see a bunch of PT in the backfield.

The preseason quarterback battle between sophomore's 5-11 Xavier Voegele and 5-10 Ryder Corbin could end up being a draw with both taking snaps.

Sophomore wide out 5-10 Jackson Lawal will see lots of time and 6-5 senior Brody Landgraf looks to fill in at WR.

Add junior offensive lineman 5-10, 200 John Daab who is a likely starter.

Two additional seniors; linebacker 5-5 Cooper Foxx and 5-7 Cooper Weik.

“Having many kids back from last year should prove to be helpful as we won't lack experience anywhere except at quarterback,” said Coach Horner, who is 165-80 in 24-years at Columbia. “We return 7-8 players on defense who saw lots of time and they look to be a pretty stout group who are hungry. We also have some depth this year as our numbers are up slightly so this should also prove to help our long term success.”

With this being the final year as a member of the Cahokia Conference, Salem head coach Kevin Greene would like nothing better than to win a few more games than they did last season.

The Wildcats stumbled home with 2-7 mark, with their only league win coming against East Alton-Wood River.

Salem has some experience returning with 15 players with varsity minutes coming back.

Quarterback Kaeden Bevelo, a 6-1, 170 junior, returns for the Wildcats.

Six-two, 215 junior Trey Clark is one of the running backs for Coach Greene to work with.

Maddon Thompson, a 6-1, 165 junior and 6-3, 160 senior Caylen Patterson made the grade for the pass catchers in the offense.

Other returning offensive starters are right tackle Briar Hills, a 6-3, 295 senior.

Sophomore Silas Lux, a 6-2, 270 lineman and 6-foot, 235 junior Layne Kaminski give the front a sizable look.

Defensively eight returning starters give Salem experience where it matters.

Five-nine, 170 senior Zane Barthelemy, 5-10, 240 junior Caden Miraglia and 5-10, 170 senior Angel Salgado are linebackers for Coach Greene.

Three seniors have return for line spots.

Darryl Kaufman, a 5-11, 230 defensive lineman, Morgan Mickens, a 6-2, 225 senior and 5-7, 245 senior Rylan Geiler.

Defensive back starters are sophomores 5-10 Kyler King and 5-10, 180 Troy Keele.

“We continue to be a younger group overall. We return some key players from last year, however depth will be a concern,” said Coach Greene.

There weren't a lot of highlights or things to brag about last season for East Alton-Wood River.

The Oilers only win came against win-less rival Alton Marquette and they were the Explorers' only win in 2023 as EAWR went 0-9 that season.

But the season before Coach Gary Herron put together a solid campaign to get his program to the football playoffs.

Graduations and low numbers haven't helped the progress but this coach is ever optimistic.

The Oilers will turn to Isaiah Smith to lead the club again at quarterback as the senior is also a linebacker on defense.

Running back Rahaan Duncan, a sophomore, will also handle the ball in the EAWR offense.

La'Twon Everage is a veteran receiever and defensive back for the Oilers as he has been a part of the program for a while.

Other potential pass catchers are junior Jasiah Brown, junior Stephan Mosley and junior Tavis Brown.

Junior running backs AJ McLain and Jerald Downs are also linebackers in the system.

Up front, senior Malachi Carter is a two-time Cahokia all-conference player.

EAWR newcomer junior Elijah Spratt, a transfer from East St. Louis, and junior Michael Wilfong are lineman.

“We have a very young team with only six seniors, three of them have never played in the program before,” said Coach Herron. “We have some very athletic wide receivers and defensive backs. We will need to find ways to get them the ball in space. Our team is led by Carter, who is the leader of our offensive and defensive line as well as our captain. I am very excited to see him play this year.”

08/28/2025
CARBONDALE
BY JACK BULLOCK
The usual order of things in the Cahokia Conference Illinois Division since its inception in football has revolved around Red Bud and Chester and that won't change this season.

The Musketeers and Yellow Jackets, Randolph County rivals, meet every year in all sports and the games are usually of importance in the league standings.

It won't change this season as each of the squads, both playoff contenders each season, will look for the conference championship again.

Coaches Dave Lucht and Billy Belton know how to get their kids motivated towards reaching the postseason.

Wesclin and first year head coach Nick Hollenkamp started off rough but smoothed some things out at the end of last season, something that the Warriors can build off of.

Dupo has a four-year starter returning at quarterback for Coach Zach Klaustermeier and would like to return to the playoffs for the third time in four years while Carlyle and head coach Nick Wolf managed just three wins last fall.

Sparta returned to football after a year of not having a varsity team and it showed with an 0-9 mark.

They have a new coach leading the way as Drew Kordys takes over the program that has no where to go but up.

With the playoffs each year, it all about the draw and the Yellow Jackets ended up with a tougher bracket spot than they probably deserved.

Chester lost their season finale against 5A Waterloo, giving the team its only defeat after eight-consecutive wins.

Had they beat the Bulldogs in the finale, a 9-0 record could have gotten them a much better postseason path.

After beating Westville in the opening round, they traveled to Maroa-Forsyth where the season ended with a 28-7 loss.

M-F ended up making it to the title game and the Yellow Jackets ended up 9-2, a mark that tied for the second most wins in a season in the program's history.

Coach Belton is 50-28 in eight years with seven playoff appearances, with no playoffs in Covid19 at Chester.

The losses due to graduation were steep.

A Sideline View 2A “Player of the Year” quarterback Zain Al-Jassim, was a three-year starter at Chester.

Al-Jassim passed for 5,033-yards in his three seasons, with 2,151 coming during a fantastic 2024 campaign and is at Missouri Baptist University.

Kolton Jany was an all-everything player for Chester for three seasons and he is playing college football at Illinois College.

Devante Palacio is another three year starter that was part of three postseasons for Chester.

Alex Williamson is another of the three-year starters missing as he anchored a strong offensive line while senior Nate Maes was an offensive and defensive starter for two years.

All will be missed at the 2025 season commences.

Tray Peters, a 6-2 senior, is the new quarterback for the Yellow Jackets as he switches from receiver to signal caller.

But the strength of the club might be the returning offensive linemen.

Three starters are back with Brayden Juenger, a 6-foot, 235 senior returning with Trevor Keeton, a 5-9, 260 lineman and 6-foot, 235 senior Jakob Stueve.

Coach Belton added the names Morgan Miers, Jackie Bess and Karim Landeros to the lineup up front.

Miers is a 6-foot, 235 senior, Bess is a 6-3, 230 junior and junior Landeros checks in at 5-11, 175.

Six-one senior Ethan Colvis will end up getting the ball more often this season from the running back spot.

Look for junior running back Alex Blechle, a 5-9 junior, 6-foot junior wide receiver TaShawn Palacio, 5-9 junior wide receiver Zain Eggemeyer, and 6-1 junior tight end Trey McCartney to get there hands on the ball this fall as skill position players.

“We have the foundation to have a great season. We have to keep working and keep getting better everyday,” said Coach Belton. “I'm excited about the team we have this year. We have a great foundation starting with the guys up front.”

In his three seasons running the program at Dupo, head coach Zach Klaustermeier has had the services of now senior quarterback 6-2, 190 Deegan Prater.

Prater started as a freshman and the Tigers have played well enough to eek into the playoffs twice since he started running the offense.

He threw for 16 touchdowns as a junior and completed 101-of-183 passes for 1,453-yards and he added another 954-yards on the ground on 124-attempts.

Luke Ellis returns after a splendid sophomore season where he rushed for 538-yards for the Tigers.

Senior Thinh Staggs was Prater's top target, catching 48 passes for 681-yards and seven scores.

Dupo has other kids returning with 6-1 sophomore Carter Lumpkins, 5-9 junior Brady Portell, 5-10 junior Caiden Crowder, 5-10 junior transfer Talon Simshauser and senior transfer 6-foot Brrayden Esterlein.

Simshauser comes in from Columbia and Esterlein in from Belleville West.

All are skill players for Dupo that should have an impact immediately, both on offense and in the defensive backfield.

Jacob Duncan, a 6-1, 195 junior defensive end and 6-3, 215 junior Shia Owensby, look to make the Tigers even better.

Jahmori Napper, a 6-1, 155 sophomore wide out, is yet another weapon for Dupo along with Ethan Nelson, a 6-1, 180 tight end/lineman.

Coach K mentioned the offensive linemen with 6-foot, 270 senior Cole Hearty, 6-2, 290 senior Braxton Barnett, 5-11 245 junior TJ Baugh, 5-10, 225 junior Lucas Click, 6-0, 285 senior Dylan Cannon and 5-9, 235 junior Jaxson Franke.

For a 1A school, that is good size upfront to open up holes for Prater and Company to run through.

“We are really looking forward to the season. We have some spots to fill, but for the most part we return a lot of talent. Prater being a four-year starter is very exciting, along with the skill guys that he has to throw to. Ellis coming back off of an all-conference sophomore year, with a another season of experience. Our offensive line is coming together nicely and they look better every day. Defensively, Prater leads the way as well. We really look for Duncan and Owensby to be big problems for teams. Nelson is a very smart linebacker that runs our defense while our defensive backs are very talented,” said Coach Klaustermeier.

It didn't quite go as planned for Wesclin last fall for Coach Nick Hollenkamp and his Warriors.

Losing the first five games of the season, some teams might have fold up the tents but not this group.

Two of the early losses were one-score games and the Warriors showed improvement, finishing with three victories in their final four games to end up 3-6 on the season.

The program has turned the page and are focused on improving in 2025 and becoming a conference factor and perhaps a contender for a playoff berth, the program's eighth in its 22-years of existence.

Six-one, 190 senior Cael Madden returns at quarterback for the Warriors.

He put up numbers as a junior with 55-of-112 passing, for 673-yards and five TD's.

Madden added to the stat sheet with 643-yards rushing and 12 touchdowns on the ground.

Five-eleven, 160 running back William Waggoner returns as he was second on the rushing list with 516-yards and five touchdowns.

Wide receiver Reed Evans, a 6-1, 180 senior, snagged 32 of the passes for 388-yards and five trips to the end zone.

Another target for Madden will be Caleb Ferris, a 6-1, 190 senior tight end/linebacker.

As a defensive standout two years ago, Ferris returned a pair of interceptions for touchdowns in a single game.

He missed the final eight games of last season after getting hurt in the season opener.

Christian Lopez, a 5-11, 160 senior, is another skill player for Wesclin, who transferred back to the program.

Up front, the Warriors have Ben Brown, a 6-7, 240 senior lineman.

Six-foot, 200 senior Colton Earnhart, 6-1, 250 senior Nick Hutcheson, 6-foot, 240 senior Kayne Reed and 5-10, 190 senior Marc Olsson gives this head coach veterans at each spot.

“The 2025 Warriors are a senior lead group with a lot of returning starters from one year ago. THis group lost three close games in 2024 and looks to seal the deal this fall. The Warriors have a number of threats to dispute the ball evenly and keeps defense off balance,” said Coach Hollenkamp.

Graduation took its toll on the Red Bud program this past spring.

According to head coach Dave Lucht, the Musketeers only return four players with varsity experience on offense that return following a 5-5 season and a first round playoff exit in 2024.

Junior quarterback Landon Ruebusch is back for Red Bud.

Also three linemen; senior Alijah Barbeau, junior Sikeston Hopple and sophomore Danny Jackson.

The rest of the assignments are up for grabs heading into the season.

Coach Lucht mentioned some others looking to step up, including senior lineman Max Wolter, junior running back Austin Easton, and some suitors for the wide receiver positions; senior Jack Ford, senior Luke Quinton, senior Hunter Hooten and freshman Carson Moll.

Freshman Adam Walker, senior Keegan Plueger and junior Ian Moll will be in the trenches for Red Bud on both sides of the ball.

Defensively the Musketeers have two-way players Ruebusch, Jackson, Barbeau and Wolter, which goes without saying when it comes to small schools playing football.

Two-way players are the norm.

Linebackers include senior Chase Grohmann, junior Austin Easton and sophomore Tyler Nolan with defensive backs Quinton, Ford, Hooten and sophomore Etahan Powell.

This program has had some success in the playoffs with this mentor being responsible for coaching 10 of the 11 playoff teams.

“We have a number of athletes but there will be a big learning curve this season,” said Coach Lucht. “Only a handful of players returning so we will have to rely on youth and varsity inexperience but will still be very competitive.”

Head coach Drew Kordys is no stranger to his surroundings at Sparta High School, having graduated from the school in 2016.

He has varsity experience as an assistant coach at Collinsville in the past five seasons and now he takes on the chore of rebuilding a Bulldogs' program that went 0-9 last fall after not fielding a team in 2023.

Sparta has a co-op agreement with nearby Steeleville and the combination gives this coaching staff more kids to work with as they try to right the ship.

It starts out with the summer work that the players put time in on, which impressed this mentor.

The numbers are up, which is something that is desperately needed to compete in football.

Returning players include 5-8 junior quarterback Dariontez Monroe, who according to Coach Kordys, has leadership qualities and has taken to the new offensive scheme.

Look for running backs 5-8 senior Chaze Reed-Fajardo and Jakhai Dancy to continue improvement.

Junior Tyrell Charles, senior Dequon Woods, Eian Wallace and Gavin Peck are listed as wide receivers.

Brock Wilson, a 6-0 sophomore, returns on the offensive line with senior Joshuwah Ware, junior Diego Perez, senior Ethan Ledbetter and junior Austin Young.

On defense the line has junior Barrett Wilson and junior Keyshaun Brimmer with defensive backs Caden Ward and Aidan Hernandez. Senior Christian Lueth and senior Aaron Orella are linebackers for Sparta.

“This team has had a great summer and start to the fall, the number of athletes is over 50 and we are working on laying the foundation for the program moving forward. The new Bulldogs are hungry and ready to change the course of the program,” said Coach Kordys.

Another of the Cahokia Illinois clubs looking for some redemption is Carlyle with head coach Nick Wolf in charge.

After barely missing the playoffs at 4-5 in 2023, the Indians ended up with a five-game losing streak after beginning the campaign 1-1 in 2024.

They managed a couple of late wins for a 3-6 finish.

Coach Wolf and his team would like to flip those numbers around in 2025.

The best news is a bunch of experience returns for this coaching staff to work with.

“This has been the most dedicated our team has been throughout the off-season. We have had the majority of our players dedicated to the weight room and I have seen great strides taken as a team,” said Coach Wolf. “Our experience returning on defense will be a key factor. Leadership will be a deciding factor in the results we see this season. Our seniors have all taken on a leadership role and we are seeing great growth early on.”

Six-five senior quarterback Zack Persing runs the offense for the Indians.

Senior tight end Ethan Brinkmann, senior offensive lineman Spencer Bruggemann and senior defensive lineman Eliot Melton are back with senior running back Russell Shepard and junior wide out Gannon Meyer.

Brinkman, Persing and Meyer were all-Cahokia last season.

On defense add defensive back sophomore Ethan Pebbles and senior Cameron Keller.