EAST ST. LOUIS — When running back Courtney Molton went down with a sprained left foot midway through the first quarter Saturday afternoon, East St. Louis football coach Darren Sunkett started searching for somebody to take Molton's tailback spot.

After searching for nearly three quarters, Sunkett found Jeremy Nicholson and Duke Robinson, and both responded.

Robinson bolted away on a 68-yard touchdown romp to start the fourth quarter and Nicholson added a 2-yard run late as the host Flyers eeked out a 50-43 win over upset-minded Bradley-Bourbonnais in the first round of the Illinois Class 7A state playoffs at Clyde C. Jordan Memorial Stadium.

East St. Louis, the defending 7A state champions and the top-ranked team in the Post-Dispatch large-schools rankings and The Associated Press 7A state poll, improved to 8-2 with its eighth straight triumph.

The Flyers, seeded second in the upper bracket, will host third-seeded Minooka (8-2) next weekend on a day and time to be announced Monday.

Bourbonnais ended 5-5 with its fourth straight loss. Brandon Moliga scored four touchdowns for the Boilermakers.

"We searched a little bit," Sunkett said. "But we told those guys at halftime that it's their turn to make plays. Either the wideouts or the running backs. You saw what happened in the third and fourth quarter. They did a good job running the ball."

Robinson's score came with 11 minutes 46 seconds left in the game and the Flyers behind 43-36 as he turned the right corner and scrambled down the near sideline. With kicker Jeremy Nicholson suffering from leg cramps, Sunkett had to go for a 2-point conversion and Robinson answered again with the score for a 44-43 advantage.

Then Nicholson, still suffering from the cramps, added the final six points on a 2-yard burst with 5:30 remaining. But the 2-point conversion run was no good. Nicholson ended with 174 rushing yards for the game, Robinson had 71, Molton finished with 90 and quarterback Detchauz Wray wound up with 68 as East St. Louis ground out 403 yards.