Here’s a shocking news development….East St. Louis football coach Darren Sunkett said last week the 2009 version of Flyers football was going to be even better than the 2008 squad when East St. Louis won its first state Class 7A title in school history, sixth overall state championship and first crown since 1991.

Last year’s team, which saw five players sign Division I college scholarships, scored a state-best 650 points (tied for 10th overall in state history, according to the Illinois High School Associatin website). The school record is 671 points set by the 1985 squad and the Flyers would have easily surpassed that total last year, and perhaps cracked the overall mark of 694 set by Carthage in 2000, had they not had several touchdowns called back because of penalties.

East St. Louis had the state’s best wide receiver/punt returner/defensive back in Terry Hawthorne, who will play for Ron Zook at Illinois this season, another top receiver in Kraig Appleton (Wisconsin) and one of the top defensive backs in the St. Louis area in Tommie Hopkins (Illinois).

Plus the Flyers had defensive end Ty Phillips (17 sacks), who signed with Missouri but was recently ruled academically ineligible and offensive tackle Terrence Isiah (SIU Carbondale). 

Still Sunkett insists the 2009 squad, led by quarterback Detchauz Wray (2,564 passing yards and 38 touchdowns and 260 rushing yards and five scores) and running back Courtney Molton (1,562 rushing yards/10 TDs; 198 receiving yards/1 TD), will be better. Both have been offered scholarships by the University of Arizona.

I guess we’ll find out beginning Saturday when East St. Louis opens the season by traveling to the University of Cincinnati to face Cincinnati Elder at 8:15 p.m. The Flyers, who were 13-1 last season, lost to Wayne High School of Huber Heights, Ohio 20-12 in the lidlifter last season at Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati.

After that loss, East Side reeled off 13 consective wins outscoring the opponents 638-125, including a 33-14 triumph over Geneva in the Class 7A state final at Memorial Stadium in Champaign.

Stay tuned.