51ºÚÁÏ

"The ball went in the air and I went to go get it," Short said. "I'm a playmaker, so I'm going to go get it. My team needed it."

Short came down with his interception in the back of Cahokia's end zone, tapping both toes for good measure, as Lift for Life closed out a 22-14 nonconference victory over the host Comanches between a pair of ranked small schools.

Lift for Life (2-0), the No. 5 small school, has won its first two games for the second time in the past three seasons and for the first time under second-year coach Tony Woolfolk.

"I told my boys that winning is a sign of relief, and they're feeling it more than ever," Woolfolk said. 

The game was originally scheduled to be part of the Gateway Scholars Football Classic, but it was quickly moved to Cahokia when that event was canceled by host East 51ºÚÁÏ when its opponent from Florida canceled its trip. 

With the Hawks clinging to a 22-14 lead and facing hard-charging No. 6 small school Cahokia (1-1), Short knew his team needed a play. 

"He's a freshman and I tell my kids that if you're capable, age isn't an excuse," Woolfolk said. "He's very capable and I'm excited to be able to coach him for four more years."

Cahokia, on Lift for Life's 19-yard line with less than a minute to go, threw up a pass to the corner of the end zone and Short was the only player in the vicinity.

"There was some miscommunication on that concept," Cahokia coach Darien Donald said. "I think one of our guys misread it, and that's where some of the confusion came in."

Short's first career interception all but sealed the deal as Lift for Life knelt out the final seconds of the game.

Lift for Life's defense held Cahokia to 226 yards one week after it rolled up nearly 500 in a season-opening victory at Lutheran St. Charles.

Woolfolk credited assistant coach Tom Beauchamp for the defense's performance.

"He does a great job getting our guys in the right position," Woolfolk said.

Phoenix Isiah leads way for Hawks

Lift for Life senior quarterback Phoenix Isiah just smiled when asked about what was working so well.

"I can't do this without my big guys in front," Phoenix Isiah said. "We lean on each other and we get it done. Week by week, we're going to keep working."

Woolfolk wasn't willing to let his quarterback deflect all the credit, though, after Isiah's 17-for-29 passing performance for 247 yards and a touchdown.

"Everything we do on our offensive end relies on Phoenix," Woolfolk said. "We do a lot of things where he makes the decision. It was more so multiple plays that he can (call). He has to presnap everything. We rely on him and we trust him to make the right decision."

Isiah also added a 14-yard touchdown scramble in the second half to give his team some breathing room. 

Under his guidance, the Lift for Life offense rolled up 361 total yards.

Big strikes boost Hawks early

Missouri State commit Jay'Veon Scott opened up the scoring for the Hawks with a 50-yard touchdown sprint. 

Then in the second quarter, Isiah found Tony Woolfolk Jr. behind Cahokia's defense for a 62-yard touchdown strike to give the Hawks a 16-0 lead.

"Anytime I see (Woolfolk Jr.) open, I'm just going to throw it up to him and he's going to come down with it," Isiah said. 

Cahokia's defense stiffens

After surrendering 260 yards of offense in the first half, of which 112 yards came on two plays, the Comanches' defense only gave up just over 100 yards in the second half.

"I think we had a good game plan out of the gate, if it wasn't for bad eye discipline early on and guys not manning their gaps, I don't think they get the first two scores," Donald said. "We stabbed ourselves early on and we didn't recover from that."

Cahokia senior running back Machai Henderson pounded his way in for two scores, accounting for 68 yards on 16 carries. 

With a trip to Granite City upcoming, Donald took much of the blame for Saturday's loss.

"Our kids fought well, competed and I took the onus of this loss," Donald said. "There are things that I could have done a better job on the play calling. The play calling has to be better so we can win these games."