Published: September 04, 2008 10:03 am      

O'Fallon on tap for Rams

By JEREMY HALL

jeremy.hall@register-news.com

MT. VERNON — Members of the Mt. Vernon football team will see a familiar pair of eyes gazing back at them from across the line of scrimmage on Friday.

O’Fallon senior quarterback Sonnie Rollins played within the Mt. Vernon Junior Football League before his family moved to St. Clair County.

When the Panthers visit J.D. Shields Memorial Stadium for the Rams’ home opener, Mt. Vernon coach Dan Mings knows what to expect from the player he once envisioned in a varsity Rams jersey.

“Sonnie is a heckuva football player,” said Mings. “And he’s a tremendous quarterback. He’s going to cause us a lot of problems.”

Both teams seek their first win on Friday, with the Rams losing 7-6 in overtime at Belleville East last week and O’Fallon falling 24-3 at home against Cahokia.

Rollins, a six-foot, 165-pound senior, completed five of 11 pass attempts against the Comanches for 34 yards, while rushing for 24 yards on three attempts and tossing a pair of interceptions.

“He’s a first-year starter for us but he’s picked up the system pretty quick,” said O’Fallon coach Brandon Joggerst. “We expect big things from him.”

Against the Comanches, the Panthers grabbed a 3-0 lead on a 50-yard field goal by Matt Kendall in the first quarter before Cahokia scored the game’s final 24 points. Kendall, a three-year starter and first-team all-area kicker in the Metro East, is capable of a bit more, said Joggerst.

“He’s been pretty consistent,” the coach said. “He’s definitely a strong suit for us.”

Mings said he does not put much stock in O’Fallon’s struggle against the Comanches.

“This is the best Cahokia team that I’ve seen,” he said. “And that’s saying a lot because I’ve seen a lot of good Cahokia football teams.”

Junior Erin Lewis (5-10, 160) led O’Fallon with 50 rushing yards on 19 carries, while Dionte Sullivan (5-9, 165) caught two passes for 49 yards and 6-foot-4, 220-pound tight end De’Ron Flood caught three passes for 22 yards.

Defensively, the Panthers had three interceptions and a fumble recovery against the Comanches in an effort similar to the Rams’ at Belleville. Mt. Vernon’s defense stymied the Lancers before a pivotal 12-yard touchdown pass in overtime.

“They’re going to be us except big,” Mings said of O’Fallon’s defenders. “[They are] college-looking kids. It’s going to be a game where we’re going to have to come out and play as well or a little better defensively to be in this football game. And, offensively, the front guys ... they’re going to have to do something.”

Joggerst said he believes Mt. Vernon made a statement against East, a team some consider to be the second-best Metro East area team behind East St. Louis. He said despite the Rams’ inability to score on offense in regulation at Belleville, he is concerned with Mt. Vernon’s offense.

“They’re a very good team,” said Joggerst. “They are a very hard-nosed, rugged type of team that just comes right at you. We need to keep their offense off of the field. We’ve got to limit their possessions.”

At J.D. Shields Memorial Stadium, the Rams will play in confines that have been more than friendly over the last three seasons. Mt. Vernon won four of five home games a year ago and has gone 11-4 at home since the start of the 2005 season.

“We don’t win all of them at home,” said Mings, “but we win a lot of them. Our kids are excited and they want to play at home. They want to see the fans in the stands yelling for them by name. That’s huge.”

Kickoff for Friday’s game is set for 7 p.m.