CAHOKIA - Jordan Manney tried to hold it together during MacArthur coach Derek Spates' postgame speech.

Following the Generals' 31-6 Class 5A quarterfinals loss to Cahokia on Saturday, Spates stood in the end zone at Cahokia's football field and addressed his team, which had improved from 2-7 last year to 9-3 this year.

"Seniors," Spates said, and then took a long pause - trying to fight back tears. "Twenty years ago, I was a senior. I've been there. Your football playing days at MacArthur are over. You have to take that walk now.

"But I remember when you were freshman, telling you guys you were going to do great things here. You didn't win a championship. But in my mind, you're champions."

The crowd huddled around the MacArthur players applauded. That's when Manney's tears started flowing.

"I tried to be OK and not break down. I tried to brush off the stuff he was saying, but it just hit me," said Manney, a senior. "This season brought us together. There are guys on this team I wouldn't have even known if not for football, and we became like brothers. It's tough for it to be over."

Manney was the focus of the Generals' offensive game plan, which at times was successful. Manney rushed 23 times for 134 yards. But while MacArthur was gaining 5 yards on every successful run, Cahokia (11-1) was taking 30 on its plays.

Cahokia's record-setting quarterback, Patrick Ivy, threw for 206 yards and ran for 89. But it was Cahokia's receivers who put the game out of reach in the second half. First Donald Collier, then Jimmie Hunt made a catch on a fourth down, broke a tackle and scored a long touchdown.

"We knew they had explosive athletes just from watching them on tape," Spates said. "They just made plays when they needed to."

But there were times MacArthur did damage against Cahokia's offense, picking off three Ivy passes - two of them by Tirell Anderson. To start the game, Cahokia freshman Xjazion Boyd fumbled on the kickoff return, and MacArthur recovered at the Comanches' 25-yard line.

While Cahokia's offense was sometimes breathtaking, it's defense was a rock. Every time a turnover put Cahokia in a compromising position, its defense bailed it out. The Comanches stopped MacArthur on fourth down all six times the Generals went for it - including on fourth-and-3 at Cahokia's 18-yard-line to stop MacArthur's opening drive.

"We had a freshman make a mistake on that kickoff, but it was like it's been all year: Our defense saves us until the offense gets rolling," Cahokia coach Antwyne Golliday said. "With our offense, we know we're going to get some things done. But our defense is always strong."

After Cahokia scored on a 24-yard run by Deonta Beverly to take a 7-0 lead, MacArthur answered with a 12-play drive that ended in a 1-yard touchdown run by LaDarion Shelby. Manney had four rushes for 32 yards on the drive.

"The line was clearing them out. We drove all the way down the field. We just couldn't finish enough of those drives," Manney said. "If we take away some of those mistakes and execute our offense, we'd have been right there."

Cahokia answered MacArthur's touchdown in two plays that summed up its dominating performance. On the first play, MacArthur flushed Ivy, but he scrambled for a 19-yard gain. On the next play, Ivy hit Hunt on a short pass, Hunt broke a tackle and ran 36 yards down the sideline to put Cahokia up 13-6.

Cahokia led 16-6 at half, then blew it open with its two touchdowns on fourth-down conversions - the second coming by Hunt on a fake punt to make it 31-6.

It was a frustrating ending to a season those involved with the MacArthur football team will never forget.

"You just hate to see this group of kids go," Spates said. "When you lose and the season's over, the finality of it hits you and you realize this is the last time I get to coach these kids. Then before you know it, it'll be six or seven years from now and we'll be sitting back talking about that game down in Cahokia, or against Danville.

"It's just tough when you start thinking about not being with those kids anymore," Spates said.

jconn@herald-review.com|421-7971