The East St. Louis Flyers are 7-1 after defeating Alton, Friday night at Clyde C. Jordan Stadium. (Photo: Thomas Grove)

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#1 East St. Louis (7-1)3970854

EAST ST. LOUIS, IL — Quarterback Reece Shanklin threw four first half touchdown passes and the defense posted its fourth straight shutout, as No. 1-ranked East St. Louis blasted Southwestern Conference rival Alton, 54-0, in an Illinois high school football game, Friday night at Clyde C. Jordan Stadium.

The victory clinched East St. Louis’ 11th straight Southwestern Conference championship. The Flyers have won the league title every year since 2015.

This year, East Side went 5-0 in conference games and only gave up six points (one touchdown) in those five games. Friday’s win was the Flyers’ fourth straight shutout.

East St. Louis QB Reece Shanklin threw for 275 yards and four touchdowns in the Flyers’ 54-0 win over Alton, Friday night. (Photo: Thomas Grove)

Shanklin, who only played 2 1/2 quarters, lit up the night, with touchdown throws of 21, 9, 41, and 30 yards to lead the East Side offense. The senior signal-caller finished with 275 passing yards, the four scores, and no interceptions.

Dual-threat athlete Ronnie Gomiller caught two of those touchdowns, and also ran for a 60-yard score, while teammates Laron Baker and E’murion Jackson caught the other two touchdowns from Shanklin. Jackson also caught a touchdown pass from backup Tyler Foster to close out the scoring.

The Flyer defense held Alton to just 52 yards of total offense and didn’t allow a first down in the first half.

Senior Raheem Floyd, East Side’s star cornerback had a huge night. The University of Florida recruit returned a punt 53 yards for a touchdown. Then later, intercepted a pass and return 35 yard for another score.

It was the second time in his career that Floyd, the primarily defensive player, scored two touchdowns in a game.

The victory moved East Side to 7-1 on the season, while Alton fell to 1-7.

The Flyers will close out the regular season with a road game, next Friday, against Naperville North. The Huskies, champions of the DuPage Valley Conference, are also 7-1, after their win over Neuqua Valley, Friday night.

Next Friday’s game at Naperville North is scheduled for a 7 p.m. kickoff and the game will be streamed live on Youtube.

SCORING SUMMARY

QtrTimeScoring PlayAltonESL
1st11:44ESL – TOUCHDOWN – Ronnie Gomiller 60 yard run (PAT good)07
1st09:43ESL – TOUCHDOWN – Raheem Floyd 53 yard punt return (PAT no good)013
1st07:22ESL – TOUCHDOWN – Laron Baker, Jr. 21 yard pass from Reece Shanklin (2-pt conversion failed)019
1st05:52ESL – TOUCHDOWN – Raheem Floyd 35 yard interception return (PAT no good)025
1st02:40ESL – TOUCHDOWN – Ronnie Gomiller 9 yard pass from Reece Shanklin (PAT good)032
1st00:02ESL – TOUCHDOWN – E’murion Jackson 41 yard pass from Reece Shanklin (PAT good)039
2nd06:50ESL – TOUCHDOWN – Ronnie Gomiller 25 yard pass from Reece Shanklin (PAT good)046
4th10:59ESL – TOUCHDOWN – E’murion Jackson 6 yard pass from Reece Shanklin (2 pt-conversion good)054

2026 EAST ST. LOUIS FLYERS FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

DateTimeAtOpponentLocationResults
August 22, 2026 (Saturday)6 pmNeutral#1 Chicago Mount CarmelNormal, ILW, 42-23 (1-0)
August 28, 2026 (Friday)6 pmNeutralAmerican Heritage (FL)Fort Lauderdale, FLL, 35-28 OT (1-1)
September 4, 2026 (Friday)7:30 pmHomeGainesville (GA)Clyde C. Jordan StadiumW, 24-21 (2-1)
September 11, 2026 (Friday)7 pmHomeO’Fallon*Clyde C. Jordan StadiumW, 64-6 (3-1)
September 18, 2026 (Friday)7 pmHomeBelleville East*Clyde C. Jordan StadiumW, 61-0 (4-1)
September 25, 2026 (Friday)7 pmAwayEdwardsville*Edwardsville, ILW, 35-0 (5-1)
October 2, 2026 (Friday)7 pmAwayBelleville West*Belleville, ILW, 70-0 (6-1)
October 9, 2026 (Friday)7 pmHomeAlton*Clyde C. Jordan StadiumW, 54-0 (7-1)
October 16, 2026 (Friday)7 pmAwayNaperville NorthNaperville, IL

* – denotes Southwestern Conference game