Awards Night honors YellowJacket players at Annual Awards Night and Reception
By Jim Beers
CHESTER – On Thursday January 2, 2025 Chester High School hosted a reception at CHS to recognize and honor the 2024 Football YellowJackets for their outstanding season. The evening was held at the Professor James F. Sharp Cafeteria at CHS and included a packed house of players, coaches, parents, friends, family, and staff members.
Billy Belton, Head CHS Football Coach said, “First off I want to thank you guys for a great season. Thank you for the great memories. I love you guys! I don’t care about how many games we won or what happened this year. You guys were just great teammates! This is the best group of leaders I have ever coached!”
In referring to the Class of 2024-25 seniors, Belton said, “In the early season I talked to you guys about helping to build a good foundation for this football program. Well, this group of seniors built about nine floors, not just a great foundation. Your commitment and sacrifice for one another is unmatched!”
“You seniors cooked breakfast for everyone after our last two-a-day practice. Zain, Alex, and Nate were taking guys to the football field after weight room workouts. Nate and Alex took people to St. Louis with them to help their teammates get better. It was no accident that the 2024 CHS YellowJacket season will go down as one of the best teams in Chester High School’s history.”
In summary, Belton said, “We finished 9-2 overall. We won our 3rd conference championship in four years. We outscored our Cahokia Conference, Illinois Division opponents on average, 40-8. The seniors finished the 2024 season 19-1.”
“We made the playoffs seven years in-a-row. We broke all kinds of records. I love this team! I loved coaching you guys! This team played for one another! I tell everyone I see that I am so lucky to get to coach at CHS! We have great support and great kids!
Awards were then presented for the 2024 season. There were 14 different categories of awards to a wide number of players.
Team Awards
Young Gun Awards The first awards were the Young Gun Awards, presented to a sophomore or sophomores that contributed significantly on the Varsity Level. Such honorees often don’t get enough accolades, and are often members of special teams. These young guns usually play a lot of snaps for the Varsity. There were three such players honored for 2024. They include:
Karim Landeros
Zain Eggemeyer
Alex Blechle
Weight Room Warrior This player puts in the work in the weight room and doesn’t miss a day during summer workouts. Because of his work ethic in the off-season, his play on the field improved significantly. This year’s winner was:
Brayden Jeunger
Eric Skorcz Award This award is presented in memory of Eric Skorcz who was one of Coach Belton’s favorite people. He helped out in coaching the team for 10 years prior to his death nine years ago. Skorcz assisted Coach Belton with Stinger’s Football, and he was a good teammate to Belton in high school. He was also a good player himself. Skorcz always put his team first and was a great all-around person. The 2024 Eric Skorcz Award winner was:
Jack Heffernan
Offensive Weapon Award The winner of this award is the Offensive MVP for 2024. Other teams must prepare to defend him. If not, they will not be able to stop the YellowJacket squad. The 2024 winner is:
Devante Palacio
Defensive Weapon Award There were two honorees this season. These two players were Defensive MVP’s. They are defensive playmakers. This year’s Defensive Weapons were:
Ethan Colvis
Cayden Brunkhorst
Elite Warrior Awards These players are a combination of Team MVP’s as well as being the best teammates and hardest workers. There were four Elite Warriors this season including:
Alex Williamson
Nate Maes
Kolton Jany
Zain Al-Jassim
Cahokia Conference Awards
Cahokia Conference, Illinois Division “All-Conference” Awards The YellowJackets were quite honored this year with six Offensive All-Conference Award winners, seven Defensive All-Conference Award winners, a Cahokia Conference Offensive Player of the Year, and a Cahokia Conference Defensive Player of the Year.
“Offensive” All-Conference Players
Kolton Jany
Alex Williamson
Devante Palacio
Treyton Peters
Brenden Malley
Zain Al-Jassim
“Defensive” All Conference Players
Ethan Colvis
Nate Maes
Tino Rafael
Alex Williamson
Kolton Jany
Cayden Brunkhorst
Devante Palacio
Offensive All-Conference “Player of the Year”
Zain Al-Jassim
Defensive All-Conference “Player of the Year”
Kolton Jany
“All-South” Awards Chester had six players earn All-South Awards including:
Zain Al-Jassim
Devante Palacio
Ethen Colvis
Nate Maes
Kolton Jany
Alex Williamson
Chester High School Record Awards
The YellowJackets broke a total of 10 school records this 2024 football season. Devante Palacio set three of those records and Zain Al-Jassim set the other seven.
Devante Palacio
Career Receptions 118
Career Reception Yards 2,110
Career Receiving Touchdowns 21
Zain Al-Jassim
Single Season Awards
Passing Yards 2,151
Passing Touchdowns 25
Career Awards
Passing Attempts 554
Completions 315
Completion Percentage 57%
Passing Yards 5,033
Passing Touchdowns 49
Academic All-State Awards
Chester proudly had four team members earn “Academic All-State” Awards in the 2024 Football Season. To qualify Academic All-State honors a player has to be an All-Conference Selection and had at least a 3.5 GPA. Chester’s 2024 Academic All-State Athletes were:
Cayden Brunkhorst
Alex Williamson
Tray Peters
Brenden Malley
All-State Football Team Selection
The Jackets had one All-State Football Team honoree.
Kolton Jany
All-State Football Team Honorable Mention
The Jackets had one All-State Football Honorable Mention honoree.
Zain Al-Jassim
In addition to awards and coaches’ comments, there was a delicious reception and parents, players, staff and coaches had a great time visiting and celebrating one of the best football seasons in CHS history. The 2025 Football YellowJackets are already hitting the weight room three days a week in preparation for next year’s season.
2024 YOUNG GUNS are (left to right) Zane Eggemeyer, Alex Blechle, and Karim Landeros. Young Guns are sophomores who contribute at the Varsity level and rarely get any major accolades. They played really well on Special Teams and played a lot of snaps. Billy Belton Photo
Brayden Juenger was the 2024 Weight Room Warrior. The winner of this award puts in a lot of work in the weight room and doesn’t miss a day in summer workouts. Because of his off-season workouts, he played better on the field during the season. Billy Belton Photo
The Eric Skorcz Award winner for the 2024 season as won by senior, Jack Heffernan. Skorcz was a former teammate of Head Coach Billy Belton and was a great teammate and an amazing person. Skorcz helped Belton coach Stinger Football and was a great teammate when he played with Belton on the YellowJackets when in high school. Heffernan is the same type of great guy and teammate to his fellow Yellowjacket players. Billy Belton Photo
Devante Palacio earned the OFFENSIVE WEAPON Award for the 2024 season at Chester High School. This award s for the players that other teams have to stop to be successful. It is the Team’s Offensive MVP. Billy Belton Photo
The Defensive Weapon Award this year was earned by two players, Cayden Brunkhorst and Ethan Colvis. These young men were the team’s defensive playmakers for the YellowJackets in 2024. Billy Belton Photo
The Chester High School YellowJacket Football Elite Warriors included (left to right) Kolton Jany, Zain Al-Jassim, Nate Maes, and Alex Williamson. These senior plyers are a combination of “Team MVP’s” and the “Best Teammates” that are the hardest workers! Billy Belton Photo
The Chester YellowJackets had 10 players make the 2024 Cahokia Conference, Illinois Division “ALL-CONFERENCE” Team. There were six players on the Offensive Team and seven players on the defensive team. Six of the ten made BOTH the offensive and defensive teams. Pictured (left to right) are: Tino Rafael (defensive); Nate Maes (defensive); Ethan Colvis (defensive); Zain Al-Jassim (Offensive); Brenden Malley (offensive); Tray Peters (offensive); Devante Palacio (offensive & defensive); Alex Williamson (offensive & defensive); Kolton Jany (offensive & defensive); and Cayden Brunkhorst (defensive). Billy Belton Photo
The Cahokia Conference, Illinois Division “PLAYERS of the YEAR” are Chester’s Zain Al-Jassim and Kolton Jany. Al-Jassim (left) is Offensive Player of the Year and Jany (right) is the Defensive Player of the Year. Billy Belton Photo
Six Chester YellowJacket players were selected to the 2024 ALL SOUTH Football Team including (left to right) Alex Williamson, Kolton Jany, Nate Maes, Ethan Colvis, Zain Al-Jassim, and Devante Palacio. Billy Belton Photo
Zain Al-Jassim (left) and Devante Palacio (right) set numerous SCHOOL RECORDS this 2024 Football season. Al-Jassim set a total of seven records. Two were Single Season Records and five were Career Records. Single Season Records i9ncluded Passing Yards 2,151 and Passing Touchdowns 25. Carer Records included Passing Attempts 554; Passes Completed 315; Completion Percentage 57%; Passing Yards 5,033; and Passing Touchdowns 49. Palacio had three Career Records including Receptions 118: Reception Yards 2,110; and Receiving Touchdowns 21. Billy Belton Photo
The YellowJackets had four ACADEMIC ALL-STATE Players in 2024 including (left to right) Brenden Malley, Tray Peters, Alex Williamson, and Cayden Brunkhorst. To qualify for ths honor, all four players had to be an All-Conference Selection and carry at least an overall 3.5 GPA. Billy Belton Photo
Two Chester High School Football Players had the exceptional honor of being selected to ALL STATE status. Zain Al-Jassim (left) was selected to the ALL-STATE Team while Kolton Jany (right) received ALL-STATE Honorable Mention. Billy Belton Photo