The List: Best River Bend football teams of all time?
January 30th, 2008, 3:57 pm · Post a Comment · posted by phayes
Lists, lists, lists. We’re obsessed with lists, whether it’s the Top 10, the Bottom 10, honey-do lists, shopping lists or a hit list.
There are few things people feel as passionately about as they do their sports teams. And while logic often gives way to nostalgia, there’s nothing like a debate comparing teams or athletes from different eras, not to mention cities.
That’s what The List is about – airing feelings about the best in area athletics through the years.
This time, The List takes on the subject of high school football – the best River Bend teams of all time.
We’ll want to come up with the Top 10 prep football teams of all time from our area. And by “our area,” I mean The Telegraph’s circulation area. If The Telegraph is delivered there, it’s in our area. If it’s not – it is not an area community (for these purposes, anyway).
With so many great teams through the decades, it was difficult to whittle the list down. If your favorite teams aren’t mentioned here, let us know. This is all opinion and just for fun. So, in no particular order (yet), here are the nominees …..
ALTON 1970 - As long as I can remember, the Alton High School team from 1970 has been mentioned as one of the very best to ever take the field. The Redbirds were 10-0 under head coach Ed Yonkus. They outscored the opposition 286-68. They were led by offensive weapons Bobby Everidge, Frank Holmes and Gale Murphy. But Alton didn’t have to play East St. Louis that season, since East Side teachers were on strike and the Redbirds received a 2-0 forfeit win. And in the final game of the season, Alton edged Belleville West 22-20. That was three years before the beginning of the IHSA football playoff system, so we’ll never know how that team would have fared in the postseason.
CALHOUN 1992 & 1993 - Two of the best teams from our area were at the opposite end of the enrollment scale from Alton High. In back-to-back-seasons of 1992 and 1993, the Calhoun Warriors of coach Ric Johns won the Class 1A state championship. Calhoun went 14-0 in 1992 and was 13-1 in ’93. Those two teams remain the only two from The Telegraph area to capture state titles.
EDWARDSVILLE 2001 and 2001 – The Tigers finished second in the state both seasons in Class 7A and each season, they finished with 12-2 records under coach Tim Dougherty, who was 132-40 in 16 years at EHS.
MARQUETTE 1982 – These Explorers finished second in Class 3A under John Rogers and finished 12-1. They lost to Bishop Kankakee McNamara in the title game and were led by the likes of quarterback Tim Mathews and running back Jack Wickenhauser.
ROXANA 1987 – Under venerable coach Charlie Raich, the Shells came up inches short in the state championship game in Normal, losing to New Lenox Providence. They finished 12-1.
CIVIC MEMORIAL 1984 – The Eagles, under the guidance of head coach Leroy Beck, finished 12-2. They advanced to the Class 4A state semifinals, where they lost to Morris 27-7. Ironically, one of their top players was running back Dewayne Morris.
EA-WR 2004 – The Oilers went 9-1 under head coach Gary Carter, and finished the regular season unbeaten. They were eliminated from the Class 3A playoffs by Breese Mater Dei in the first round.
ALTON 1935 – The Redbirds, with players such as future Michigan All-American Archie Kodros leading the way, went undefeated under the guidance of head coach Ray “Pop” Jackson.
WOOD RIVER 1953 – The Oilers, under longtime mentor Orv Yocum, went undefeated and finished with a record of 8-0-2.
CIVIC MEMORIAL 1967 – This group of Eagles, coached by Ed Hartweger, is often mentioned as one of the top teams. They finished 7-1 and featured players the likes of QB Ricci Stotler and running back Kenny Hammon. Stotler went on to play at Mizzou. They won the old Midwestern Conference championship, the included such teams as Madison, Cahokia, Roxana, Triad, Highland and Dupo.
MOUNT OLIVE 2005, 2006, 2007 – Under longtime coach Don Dobrino, the Wildcats have gone 33-5 the last three seasons.
JERSEY 1991 – Under Bill Breden, Jersey went 11-1 and were led by quarterback Rob Schroeder. The Panthers were 11-0 until Harrisburg ousted them in the third round of the playoffs.
ROXANA 1981, 1982 & 1983 – The Shells went 31-5 these three seasons under Raich.
MARQUETTE 2002 – This team will be always remembered for what might have been. The Explorers were 10-0 and ranked No. 1 in the state. But after winning the first round of the playoffs, many of the starters were arrested at an under-age drinking party and were subsequently suspended from playing. With a makeshift team made up mostly of reserves, Marquette was eliminated the next week. Head coach Mike Slaughter and the Marquette administration did the right thing in the long run.
Well, these are just a few of the teams that come to mind. How would you rank them? Do you have some others you think should be included? Send us your thoughts! I’ll include your comments – and the final Top 10 in an upcoming blog.
