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East St. Louis, with two Purdue recruits, sees late comeback fall short in season-opener

On3 imageby:Brian Neubert•08/27/23•

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Purdue recruit Jesse Watson
Purdue recruit Jesse Watson (GoldandBlack.com)

NORMAL, Ill. — In a premier matchup to open the Illinois high school football season, Chicago”s Mount Carmel weathered a fourth-quarter surge from fellow state power East St. Louis, holding on to win 36-33 at Illinois State’s Hancock Stadium.

East St. Louis has Purdue commitments Jesse Watson (wide receiver) and Leontre Bradford (safety) and figures to be a program Ryan Walters and his staff recruit regularly given associate head coach Cory Patterson’s connections at the school he used to coach.

Thanks largely to a debilitating rash of penalties against ESL, a blocked PAT that led to a subsequent failed two-point try and a predictably big game from Wisconsin running back commitment Darrion Dupree, not to mention a strong debut from first-game starting QB Jack Elliott, Mount Carmel played with a lead virtually the entire game, but Watson’s 29-yard touchdown catch immediately after a fourth-down stop put East St. Louis in position to potentially steal it at the end, but couldn’t get the ball back.

More (On3+): Impressions of Purdue’s recruits

Purdue recruit Leontre Bradford
Purdue recruit Leontre Bradford (GoldandBlack.com)

Smiley opened the game with a key fourth-down stop and despite missing a series with an apparent cramp, totaled double-digit tackles. Watson’s TD was one of a handful of touches for the multi-purpose wide receiver, including a couple of rushing attempts.

Neither Boilermaker recruit were available for interviews afterward.

Bradford and Watson are two of Purdue’s 21 Class of 2024 commitments, a group currently ranked 28th nationally by On3 Sports.

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