'Never give up': How a backup QB almost rallied Washington to the state championship game

WASHINGTON — Once Masyn Burke was needed, he sprang into action.

The Washington backup quarterback led a fourth-quarter rally that ultimately came up short in a 34-18 loss to top-ranked East St. Louis in a Class 6A state semifinal on Saturday. No. 3-ranked Washington (11-2) was looking to make just its third state title game appearance and first since winning the 1985 Class 4A state championship.

“I just got my name called today,” the 5-foot-10, 165-pound senior said, “and it was a hard situation to be put in, but I tried to do my best that I could.

“It just sucks we can’t be there next week.”

Rapid recap: Washington rally falls short vs. East St. Louis

How Washington almost pulled off the comeback

Burke was a wide receiver, then moved to QB but eventually was beaten out by junior Tyler Humphrey for the starting job. That’s when Burke transitioned to special teams and defense. So, when Humphrey had to be helped off the field on the Panthers’ opening possession of the fourth quarter, Burke entered the game with Washington trailing 26-3.

He immediately connected with Tyler Brown on fourth-and-3 to keep the drive alive. An incomplete pass on the next play gave way to Burke scrambling for 19 yards. Two plays later, Kainon McQueary scored from a yard out.

Another Burke-to-Brown hookup on the two-point conversion made it a 26-11 game with 4:40 left on the clock.

“(Masyn) always runs reps on throwing the ball, and that’s probably his best forte. … ” said Washington coach Darrell Crouch, who ended his head coaching career with 156 victories over 19 seasons. “He answered. We run 2-minute drill in practice. We do all those things within practice, and he came in and ran it well.”

On the ensuing kickoff, Jase Harlan recovered an onside kick and the Panthers had new life. Three successive penalties followed by a 7-yard scramble from Burke set up Washington from inside the ESL 10-yard line.

McQueary, who finished with 67 yards on 28 carries, found the endzone on second down, causing the standing-room-only crowd at Babcook Field to erupt when Washington pulled within 26-18 game with 3:53 remaining.

“That’s how Panther football is,” the all-state running back said. “We never give up. Just how coach Crouch raises this program pretty much. Never give up. We came out and that’s what we did.”

But East St. Louis responded in a big way just 63 seconds later. Quarterback Robert “Pop” Battle was flushed out of the pocket and took off. He went untouched for a 53-yard touchdown to all but seal the victory for the Flyers (11-2), who face Cary-Grove (11-2) at 1 p.m. next Saturday at Hancock Stadium in Normal for the state title.

“That’s his game,” East St. Louis coach Darren Sunkett said. “He’s a dual-threat quarterback. He’s been doing this thing for four years the same way.”

Added Washington defensive lineman Carter Prina, “He just went up the middle and he was gone.”

Quick start and a clock control

The Panthers, who saw their 10-game win streak snapped, fell behind 7-0 after the opening kickoff was returned 78 yards for a touchdown by Jaion Jackson. Washington came back with a 27-yard field goal from Devon Miller as the first quarter ended.

Wideout Rico Bond caught the first of his two touchdowns to put ESL ahead 13-3 at halftime.

East St. Louis had just four first-half drives as Washington ran out of double-tight heavy sets.

“We wanted to shorten the game as much as possible,” McQueary said. “Their offense was just a little bit better than ours. … Defense showed up. Defense came to play like they always do.”

Washington's defense forced fumbles by Noah Bell and Garrett Cox and allowed only 85 total yards in the first half.

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Battle finished 8-for-10 with 71 yards and three TDs, while Larevious Woods ran for 75 of ESL’s 176 rushing yards. East St. Louis is now playing in its 15th state title game, including its fourth in a row. The Flyers won the 6A crown last season and in 2019 and took second in 2021.

“Sometimes you take for granted just how hard it is to get to the state championship game year in and year out,” Sunkett said. “These guys have done a heck of a job all year persevering to get this point.”

Adam Duvall is a Journal Star sports reporter. Email him at aduvall@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @AdamDuvall.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: IHSA football semifinals: Washington rally falls short vs. East St. Louis