The Fox Sports Films documentary “89 Blocks,” which chronicles East St. Louis High School’s undefeated 2016 football season, will debut Nov. 26 on Fox.
The film — executive produced by LeBron James, Maverick Carter and Sports Illustrated — details the Flyers’ nationally-ranked program and tells the stories of its players and the struggles they face in their everyday lives.
“We saw the screening of the film last weekend, and it was great,” East St. Louis athletic director Leonard Manley said Friday. “The people from Fox have told us it will air on Nov. 26. I hope to have a confirmation on Monday with the exact time it will air locally.”
ImagineMotion Productions was contracted by Sports Illustrated to follow the Flyers throughout the entire 2016 season. The production team was at every practice, every game and behind the scenes, getting to know the players, coaches and those associated with the Flyers football program.
East St. Louis completed a 14-0 season by winning the Class 7A state championship game last November at the University of Illinois in Champaign. The 26-13 win over Plainfield North gave the Flyers their eighth state championship.
Several stars from that team have gone onto big-school college careers including wide receiver Jeff Thomas, who has 13 catches for 273 yards and a pair of touchdowns for the No. 2 Miami Hurricane. Quarterback Reyondous Estes went onto Minnesota, where he’s getting playing time as a defensive back. Linebacker James Knight got his first start at Illinois in the sixth week of the season.
The documentary is part of a new Fox Sports Films series called “Magnify” which, according to a review in Sports Illustrated, Fox Sports hopes becomes their version of ESPN’s 30 for 30.
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