EDWARDSVILLE — Iose Epenesa was prepared this time.
The Edwardsville High senior knew just how to react when the location and date of the Tigers game on Friday was moved.
Edwardsville capped off a strange and bizarre first three weeks of the season by beating Jackson 41-7 on Saturday night at the District 7 Sports Complex.
It marked the second time a Tigers game had been postponed on the day of the contest and moved to the next 24 hours.
But Epenesa and his teammates hardly missed a beat.
In fact, the Tigers appeared razor-sharp in the contest, which was hastily moved to Edwardsville.
“The mentality never changes,†junior quarterback Yale Weaver said. “You just come out here, do your job (and) execute.â€
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Edwardsville (2-1) was slated to play at tradition-rich Jackson at 7 p.m. Friday. But a threat was made against the school on social media on Thursday and school officials felt it best to close the school on Friday.
Football is huge in Jackson as the games normally attract 3,500 to 4,000 per contest at “The Pit,†one of the most difficult places to play in Missouri.
With a potential threat looming, it was decided to move the game to Edwardsville at 6 p.m. Saturday.
The switch of dates wasn’t new to the Tigers. Their season-opening game at Chatham Glenwood on Aug. 30 was moved to Aug. 31 due to an 85-minute lightning delay that came right before kickoff.
Since it appeared that there would be no break in the weather Edwardsville agreed to play it the next day.
The Tigers headed home from the Springfield suburb before driving back up again just under 24 hours later.
Again, the bizarre circumstances didn’t bother their performance as the Tigers posted a 14-7 victory.
The ability to adapt, change plans and move forward on the fly was a source of pride for coach Kelsey Pickering.
“You just have to adjust and play,†Pickering said. “It’s part of football, whether it’s a game change, a time change, or going back to the same place two days in a row.
“It was great the way everyone handled it.â€
The Tigers have played Jackson each of the past three seasons, winning every contest in the home-and-home series.
This year’s group was actually looking forward to playing in the tough environs where the Tigers won 41-34 on Aug. 26, 2022.
“I guarantee you talk to any player from two years ago and one of the games they’ll remember is going down there and playing in a great stadium like we did,†Pickering said. “Winning a game like that is something you never forget. It’s a great place to play, they always have it rocking down there.â€
Both Weaver and Epenesa were looking forward to the challenge.
“Playing at home is still a blessing,†said Weaver who threw for four TDs in Saturday’s win. “I would have liked to have gone and played there.â€
Edwardsville’s only game played at its originally scheduled 7 p.m. Friday start was a 22-21 setback at home to Central High of Lawrenceville, Indiana, on Sept. 6.
The Tigers get their Southwestern Conference schedule kicked off at 7 p.m. Friday when they host O’Fallon (0-3).
“We’d like to be 3-0,†Pickering noted. “But we’re in a good position heading into conference (play).â€
Piling up the points
Francis Howell Central football coach Malach Radigan was still smiling almost 48 hours later
“This is one I want to enjoy for a while,†Radigan said after the Spartans lit up the scoreboard in a 61-21 win over previously unbeaten Vianney on Friday night.
Howell Central (1-2) struggled in its first two games, amassing just 33 points in losses to Festus and Liberty.
So Radigan wasn’t sure what to expect heading into the Week 3 clash at home.
“It was a hard two weeks of just not connecting on offense,†Radigan said. “We challenged the players to step up and answer the call.
“And they did.â€
Junior running back Ashton Payton rushed for 235 yards on 29 carries. Junior quarterback Jason Campbell connected on 14 of 17 passes for 270 yards and three scores.
Howell Central racked up 40 points in the first half and the defense threw a shutout over the final two quarters.
“This was a fun day for us as a program,†said Radigan, who is in his fourth season at the helm. “Probably the biggest win I’ve had here.â€
The 61-point outburst ranks second on the school’s all-time list, passed only by a 70-52 win at Fort Zumwalt East on Aug. 18, 2017.
Howell Central has struggled mightily at times. The Spartans were 16-42 over the previous six seasons entering this campaign including a 2-8 mark in Radigan’s first season.
“In that first year, getting turbo-clocked by almost everybody, was really challenging,†Radigan said. “That makes this a ton of fun.â€
The program looks to be heading in the right direction and is searching for its first winning season since going 7-4 in 2013.
“It’s good see what our kids are capable of when we choose unity and we play all together for four quarters,†Radigan said.
East ºüÀêÊÓƵ giant killers strike again
The Flyers recorded their second win against a defending state champion this season when they knocked off Philadelphia Imhotep Charter School 35-21 on Saturday night in Pennsylvania.
Imhotep, the Class 5A Pennsylvania state champion last season, had an 18-game winning streak snapped.
East ºüÀêÊÓƵ drilled Wilmette Loyola Academy 34-7 on Aug. 30 at Illinois State University. Loyola was the two-time defending Class 8A titleholders and had won its previous 22 contests.
“The kids listened to the game plan and they performed really well,†East ºüÀêÊÓƵ coach Darren Sunkett said. “Playing games like this, against teams like this, that’s the only thing that gets you better.â€
Senior quarterback Kendrick Lyons hit on 16 of 25 passes for 189 yards. Raheem Floyd had an interception return for a score to anchor the defense.
East ºüÀêÊÓƵ begins SWC play at 1 p.m. Saturday at Belleville East.
Monday night madness
Affton beat Principia 32-26 in a rare Monday night contest. Nino Muyco rushed for 174 yards and three touchdowns while Brendan Mitchell had 151 rushing yards, including a 55-yard TD less than thre minutes into the game.
For Principia, Magnus Needham passed for two touchdowns and rushed for one.
The odd date came about as the the result of a late schedule change.
The Cougars had an open date after DuBourg canceled its season over the summer. Principia also had an open date.
Affton and Principia agreed to play, although the Principia students were scheduled for a retreat on Friday and Saturday.
“We’ve got a Monday game and a Friday game this week,†Affton athletics director Brian Boehm said. “I think most kids would rather play than practice.â€
Affton will host Russellville at 7 p.m. Friday.
Cameron Harris comes up big
The Parkway South senior running back had a monster game on Friday.
The 5-foot-10, 175-pound speedster rushed for 322 yards on 29 carries in a 26-21 win over Webster Groves.
Harris carried 29 times and averaged 11.1 yards per rush in helping the Patriots improve to 2-1.
He has rushed for 511 yards this season, including 102 yards in a 31-18 season-opening win over rival Parkway Central.