CAHOKIA — Isaac Phipps shifted to his left just a shade, wanting a straight angle at his target.
He was tired of seeing O'Fallon gobble up yards on his field at Cahokia High.Â
The Cahokia junior had been shut out from his favorite pastime, and it was way past time for him to make his presence felt in the backfield.
"(I moved) so I could knife in and get that sack," Phipps said.
That slight adjustment on the defensive line gave Phipps everything he needed. Phipps exploded into the backfield and stripped the ball from the O'Fallon quarterback to seal a 12-7 nonconference football victory that made Cahokia playoff-eligible and eliminated O'Fallon.
"They got a first down, but I was thinking we have to win this," Phipps said. "We have to. They had one touchdown, and we had to get them. I had to do it for my teammates."
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Both teams were 4-4 heading into the regular-season finale and needed the all-important fifth win to earn postseason eligibility.
Cahokia (5-4) faced an uphill battle after being assessed consecutive forfeit losses Sept. 8 against Granite City and Sept. 15 against Carbondale. The Granite City game, which Cahokia led 54-14 late in the fourth quarter before a benches-clearing fight occurred, was considered a double forfeit.
The Comanches won three in a row but lost 28-6 last week to Collinsville, making the home game against O'Fallon a must-win for both teams.
Cahokia also was 4-4 heading in the regular-season finale last year against O'Fallon but lost. This time, Cahokia pulled out a tough victory and earned a second playoff berth in three seasons under coach Orlando "Doc" Gooden.
"It means everything," Gooden said. "You want those extended seasons. We felt we were a playoff team anyway. We had to overcome a lot of adversity. If I wrote a book, this is how the book would go. We had to fight, claw and overcome adversity. It’s a true testament to the boys."
Phipps' late-game heroics were 46 minutes in the making.
The 6-foot, 205-pound defensive end had an area-leading 13 sacks the first eight weeks and was kept out of the O'Fallon backfield for much of the game.
"(O'Fallon) had a good game plan getting the ball out quick," Gooden said. "(Phipps) just had to stay disciplined. But in that passing situation, you have to just pin your ears back and go."
Trailing by four points and the season on the line, O'Fallon (4-5) took over on its own 14-yard line with three minutes to go in regulation.
The Panthers began their march down the field. With less than two minutes to go, O'Fallon dropped back for a pass and that's when Phipps exploded into the backfield.Â
He went straight for the ball, stripping the ball free and teammate Jo'Viano Howard scooped the ball up to seal the win.
"I was in place to make a play and I made that play," Howard said. "We were waiting for that play, and it sealed the game."
While it took until the final stages of the final game of the regular season to earn a spot in the playoffs, Howard had a message to potential future opponents.
"First off, 5-4 don’t mean anything," Howard said. "We Comanches are coming. That’s all I got to say."
Turnaround on the ground
In last year's regular-season finale, O'Fallon smothered the Cahokia running game. Cahokia only mustered 48 yards on the ground in a 49-20 loss.Â
"Last year we had a lot of skill guys and you get spoiled and think that you should do all these other things, but Cahokia is a run-the-ball type of school," Gooden said. "We just had to stick to what we know."
Committed to the run game from the opening kickoff, Cahokia rolled up 169 yards on the ground against the rugged O'Fallon defense with senior Jramuel Holman getting the bulk of the carries.
The senior rushed 25 times for 127 yards.Â
Senior Correyontae Midgett scored two touchdowns after Holman chewed up the yards. One was a 12-yard touchdown run to give the Comanches a 6-0 lead midway through the first quarter and he capped a seven-minute drive in the third quarter with a 21-yard touchdown scamper.
"I wouldn’t have been able to do it without my linemen and those blockers on the outside," Midgett said.Â
"When you lose possessions, it makes every possession count," O'Fallon coach Byron Gettis said. "They did a good job of running the ball and keeping the clock moving."
Turned away in red zone
The Panthers only managed 37 yards of offense in the first half, but they had their chances in the second half.
O'Fallon pushed into the red zone three different times after halftime but only mustered one touchdown run by Jahkori Adams in the fourth quarter.
After being limited by injuries in the first half, Gettis was pleased to see his senior running back finish the game on the field.
"To see him go out there and play that second half. It was amazing," Gettis said.
A bittersweet ending for Cahokia graduates
It was a little bittersweet for Gettis as he walked off the field.Â
A 1998 Cahokia graduate, he got to see his alma mater punch a ticket to the playoffs — but at the expense of the program he has helmed for the past five seasons ended their season.
O'Fallon started 2-0, lost four in a row and had won two in a row going into Friday's win-or-stay-home showdown. O'Fallon had made the Class 8A playoffs each of the last two seasons.
"We had aspirations of making the playoffs and we came up short," Gettis said. "This was a good group. We played a tough schedule. To finish the season in a tough environment and high stakes, you grow as a team. This group is growing, and we’ll see what we have next year."
Gooden watched Gettis tear it up on the field when he was a freshman at Cahokia and to be able to take on his mentor on the field was something he has cherished since taking over at Cahokia three years ago.
"He kind of passed that torch to me," Gooden said. "To be able to compete and go against him, I wouldn’t want it any other way."