There will be football at Trojan Hill for the first time since Charleston High School’s historic playoff overtime victory.  

When then junior quarterback Luke Bonnstetter scored the walk off touchdown against Freeburg Community High School, it was an exciting end to Charleston’s first playoff game since 2012.  

The game was a roller coaster of emotions on a campus starved of playoff football. However, the Trojan’s season would come to an end in heartbreaking fashion in round two of the Illinois High School Association 4A football playoffs. With time running down against Murphysboro High School, Charleston scored what would’ve been the game tying touchdown but were unable to convert the extra point and lost 14-13.  

Bonnstetter, who’s now a senior, hopes to use the emotional playoff run as fuel for this season with one major goal in mind: to prove that last year’s success wasn’t a fluke.  

“It just gives us a lot of momentum coming off of last year,” Bonnstetter said. “We just want to look to keep moving forward, keep being better each year, and not just being [in playoffs] one year, but that being the tradition here at Charleston every year for years to come.” 

The hype around Charleston’s week two home opener against Paris has grown in part because of Charleston’s 34-0 win over Rantoul High School in week one.  

The Trojans had a heavy ground attack that sparked the offense. Sophomore running back and defensive back Treylin Couch lead the way on the ground with 98 yards on eight carries, scoring two touchdowns. Senior fullback Marcellx Boling also had two TDs, grinding out 70 yards on nine carries. The heavy ground assault made it easier for Bonnstetter to connect with his almost entirely new receiver group. He was 14-for-19 passing, tallying 189 yards through the air.  

Senior running back and linebacker Ben Coffey will be a weapon on both sides of the ball against Paris. In the Rantoul game, he had 11 carries for 41 yards and 1 TD. On defense, he had 12 total tackles at linebacker. Coffey says despite playing such labor-intensive positions on both sides of the ball, his body doesn’t feel the toll that being a two-way player takes.  

“Last game I felt better than I ever have,” Coffey said. “Once you go through [a certain] amount of pain, you don’t feel it anymore.” 

Charleston head coach, Brian Halsey, said Paris high school is a well-coached group and used to be in Charleston’s conference. The renewal of the old rivalry has sparked excitement for some fans and Charleston staff.  

“[The rivalry with Paris] is still here, and it’s still pretty intense,” Halsey said.  

Kickoff is set for Friday night at 7. Temperatures are expected to dip into the 40s, which Halsey said is a welcome change.  

“Last Saturday it was 84 and humid, and it was unbearable,” Halsey said. “We’ll take [the cooler temperatures] tomorrow.” 

Gabe Newman can be reached at 581-2812 or at ghnewman@eiu.edu.