April 27, 2025
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East St. Louis petitions to play in Class 6A

By Steve Soucie
East St. Louis players DeMonta Witherspoon, (left) Antonio Johnson and Darran Perkins (right) celebrate after their Class 6A state football championship win over Prairie Ridge Saturday in Huskie Stadium at Northern Illinois University.

East St. Louis players DeMonta Witherspoon, (left) Antonio Johnson and Darran Perkins (right) celebrate after winning the 2019 Class 6A state title.

The East St. Louis football program is volunteering to face yet another challenge.

Already in the midst of one of the more daunting schedules the state has ever seen, East St. Louis informed the IHSA of its intent to play in Class 6A postseason this year, an IHSA official confirmed to Friday Night Drive on Wednesday.

The petition is expected to be formally approved at Monday’s IHSA board meeting, so when the Flyers return from their showdown with St. John’s Bosco in California, this weekend they will likely do so as a Class 6A team.

The Flyers won the Class 6A championship in 2019, but due to an enrollment dip of nearly 150 students in the school’s enrollment count for this school year and next, East St. Louis’ new enrollment number has found itself squarely in the range almost always designated as a Class 5A school.

By petitioning, East St. Louis will be in the Class 6A field, if qualified, in each of the next two seasons.

The Flyers have a long history of playing up in the state series. East St. Louis played in the Class 7A playoffs from 2002-2012, winning the 7A state title in 2008. They went down to their natural enrollment designation for two seasons, before once again playing up in Class 7A from 2015-2018, although a teacher’s strike played a large part in them not qualifying for the postseason in 2015.

Prior to the 2019 season, East St. Louis was informed by its conference, the Southwestern Conference, that it would not allow any of its member schools to play up in any sport. East St. Louis complied with the conference’s wishes, winning the 6A title at their natural enrollment number in 2019.