Series
2026 Public Schools Top 100 Preview: No. 35 East St. Louis
Reece Shanklin, Myson Johnson-Cook and Laron Baker Jr. lead a Flyers roster into a September gauntlet.
East St. Louis enters 2026 with one of the country’s most demanding opening stretches and enough returning offensive talent to treat it as an opportunity, not a survival test.
Senior quarterback Reece Shanklin is back. So are Auburn commit Myson Johnson-Cook at running back and Class of 2027 receiver Laron Baker Jr. That is the foundation for a team that can score with anybody on its schedule.
No. 35 is built around what those three give the Flyers in 2026: a returning quarterback, a top-end running back and a receiver who can keep defenses honest.
Team Snapshot
School: East St. Louis Senior High School
Location: East St. Louis, Illinois
2025 classification: Illinois Class 6A
2025 record: 10-4
2025 finish: Class 6A runner-up
Head coach: Darren Sunkett
T25PS rank: No. 35
The 2026 Case
Johnson-Cook gives East St. Louis a back who can change a game without asking the offense to be perfect. He scored two rushing touchdowns in the Class 6A final, then committed to Auburn in April.
Shanklin has already handled the biggest stage. With a full offseason as the returning quarterback, he gives the Flyers stability at the position while Johnson-Cook forces defenses to account for the run game. Baker gives that offense a legitimate outside option.
The early schedule is the separator. Mount Carmel, American Heritage and Gainesville offer three different tests in three weeks. East St. Louis does not need to sweep them to prove it can make a deep Illinois run, but it needs to leave September sharper than it entered.
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