The high school football season came to a close this weekend with the IHSA state finals at Illinois State University’s Hancock Stadium in Normal.
Class 1A
Camp Point Central 14, Lena-Winslow 0
Elijah Genenbacher scored a pair of touchdowns as Camp Point Central (14-0) completed an undefeated season by downing favored Lena-Winslow (13-1).
Genenbacher scored on a 23-yard run with 5:10 left in the second quarter. He followed that up with 2:53 left in the fourth, scoring on an 11-yard run. Genenbacher finished with 131 yards on 24 carries.
Nick Moore completed 4 of 8 passes for 72 yards and Jack Thompson had three catches for 55 yards. Genenbacher also made 12 tackles and Kaden Niekamp added 11.
Gage Dunker ran for 121 yards on 28 carries to lead Lena-Winslow, which defeated the Panthers 30-8 in last year’s championship game.
It’s the first state title in program history for Camp Point Central, which also took second in 2018.
Class 2A
Wilmington 28, Athens 3
Ryan Kettman scored on a 4-yard run with 43 seconds left in the first quarter to give Wilmington a 7-0 lead. Kyle Farrell ended up leading the Wildcats (13-1) with 192 yards on 24 carries.
Gage Honn kicked a 24-yard field goal with 3:03 left in the second quarter to cut the deficit to 7-3 for Athens (11-3).
The Wildcats then scored 21 unanswered points in the second half.
Cade McCubbin scored on a 1-yard run with 3:33 left in the third quarter. Farrell opened the fourth with a 78-yard TD run only 34 seconds into the quarter. Jake Castle closed the scoring with 8:46 to play on a 3-yard run.
Reid Juster converted all four extra-point kicks for the Wildcats, who were led defensively by Brendan Moran and Joe Allgood with five tackles apiece. Brayden Leathers had 18 tackles for Athens.
It’s the third state title under coach Jeff Reents for Wilmington, which also won in 2014 and 2021. The Wildcats took second in 2003.
Class 3A
Byron 69, Mount Carmel 7
Andrew Talbert scored three TDs and a Caden Considine added two as Byron (14-0) rolled to a 49-0 halftime lead over Mt. Carmel (13-1).
Talbert scored on runs of 29, 38 and 77 yards, the latter with 3:19 remaining in the second quarter. Considine, who started the scoring with a 15-yard run only 2:50 into the game, then came through with 17-yard TD run with 25 seconds left until halftime.
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Brayden Knoll had a 31-yard TD run and Ayden Shank added a 1-yard TD run in the first half for the Tigers.
In the second half, Knoll contributed a 34-yard TD run, while Carsen Behn scored on a 6-yard run and Carter Groharing scored a 13-yard run.
Blayne Sisson scored on an 81-yard run with 7:51 left in the third quarter for Mt. Carmel. Sisson finished with 149 yards on 19 carries for the Golden Aces.
Talbert, Considine and Knoll all topped the 100-yard mark in rushing for Byron. Talbert had 154 yards on five carries, followed by Considine with 153 yards on 17 carries. Knoll chipped in with 103 yards on six carries.
Class 4A
Rochester 59, St. Laurence 38
Laying the groundwork of a high-scoring finale, Henry Buecker and Nolan Mrozowski each scored a pair of TDs in the first half for Rochester (14-0). Lach Sullivan also kicked a 34-yard field goal.
Buecker scored on a 12-yard run and also caught a 14-yard TD pass from Bryan Zulauf with 4:50 left in the first quarter, the latter giving the Rockets a 14-7 lead.
Mrozowski, meanwhile, scored on runs of 1 and 5 yards in a 2:18 span late in the second quarter to help Rochester build a 31-14 lead.
Collin Bagley converted a 30-yard field goal to slice into that deficit for St. Laurence (10-4), which also had a 16-yard TD run from Evan Les and a 3-yard TD run from Aaron Ball.
In the second half, Canon Bruce scored on a 30-yard pass and Lance Ingold scored on a 20-yard pass, both from Zulauf, for a 45-24 lead. Parker Gillespie then scored on back-to-back TD runs of 1 and 3 yards.
Les scored on 2-yard run and threw a 56-yard TD pass to Rob Francis and Ball added another 34-yard TD run, but it wasn’t enough for the Vikings.
Class 5A
Nazareth 38, Joliet Catholic 20
HJ Grigsby, who ran for 223 yards on 22 carries before leaving with a late injury, opened the scoring with a 2-yard run for a 6-0 lead and Joliet Catholic (10-4) never trailed in the first half.
Nate Magrini scored on a 5-yard run for a 13-0 lead and Keegan Farnaus scored on a 1-yard run to give the Hilltoppers leads of 13-0 and 20-7, respectively.
But Nazareth (9-5) did not go away. The Roadrunners got a 41-yard TD run from Lesroy Tittle with 8:34 left in the second quarter and David Brunke kicked a 20-yard field as time expired.
After Nazareth missed a field goal, Grigsby returned with several big runs for the Hilltoppers on their second drive of the third quarter. But following an interception, James Penley caught a 3-yard TD pass from Logan Malachuk with 37 seconds left in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 20-17.
On third-and-1, Penley took a short pass from Malachuk and turned it into a 52-yard TD to give Nazareth the lead for the first time with 9:53 remaining in the fourth quarter.
A 79-yard pass to Jake Cestone then set up a 4-yard TD pass to Trenton Walker with 6:32 left for a 31-20 lead. After Tittle’s interception with 4:41 left, Malachuk threw another TD pass to Penley, this time for 40 yards.
Malachuk ended up completing 23 of 34 passes for 414 yards and four TDs. Penley and Cestone each had 163 yards, Penley on seven catches and Cestone on four. Grigsby finished with 278 yards on 34 carries.
Class 6A
Cary-Grove 23, East St. Louis 20
Corey Abrams scored on a 1-yard run with 6:19 left in the first quarter to give Cary-Grove (12-2) the early lead over East St. Louis (11-3). Peyton Seaburg ran in the 2-point conversion.
Off play action, Seaburg threw a 19-yard pass to Andrew Prio as the Trojans took a 15-6 lead with 8:08 remaining in the second quarter. It was their only pass of the first half.
Abrams ran 15 times for 46 yards and Prio ran for 59 yards on five carries as Cary-Grove methodically moved the ball and controlled the clock, outgaining the Flyers 175-148.
Larevious Woods, however, scored on an 18-yard run with 9:13 left in the third quarter to help East St. Louis slice that deficit down to 15-13. Woods then scored again, this one coming on a 1-yard run to open the fourth, as the Flyers went ahead 20-15 for their first lead.
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Abrams, though, responded with a 1-yard TD run with 1:19 remaining and also converted the 2-point conversion run. Cary-Grove churned up over 10:30 on the clock on that drive.
Patrick Weaver’s interception with 1:02 remaining in the fourth quarter clinched the Trojans’ fourth state title and third since 2018.
Class 7A
Mount Carmel 35, Downers Grove North 10
After a slow start, Kevin Gardner caught a 28-yard TD pass from Jack Elliott with 3:55 left in the first quarter as Mount Carmel (13-1) grabbed a 7-0 lead over Downers Grove North (11-3).
Then, with 54 seconds remaining in the quarter, Elliott connected again with Gardner for a 13-yard TD, handing the Caravan a 14-0 advantage.
Looking to answer, Antonio Kollintzas kicked a 32-yard field goal with 8:40 left in the second quarter, cutting the Trojans’ deficit to 14-3.
On third-and-goal, however, Maurice Densmore came in motion and ran in a jet sweep for a 2-yard TD with 12 seconds remaining, giving Mount Carmel a 21-3 halftime lead.
Elliott completed 21 of 26 passes for 228 yards in the first half to lead the Caravan, who outgained Downers Grove North 309-19 in the opening 24 minutes.
Building off that, Elliott scored on a 10-yard run with 18 seconds left in the third quarter, allowing Mount Carmel to take an insurmountable 28-3 lead. Densmore followed that up with a 5-yard TD run at 10:22 left in the fourth.
Jake Wander scored on a 2-yard run with two seconds to play for the Trojans.
The Caravan ties Joliet Catholic in number of football state titles with 15. It’s the third since 2019 under coach Jordan Lynch.Tavon Rice makes fashion statement for Mount Carmel. ‘It re-ripped the first drive.’ Plus, state football notes.
Tavon Rice makes fashion statement for Mount Carmel. ‘It re-ripped the first drive.’
Class 8A
Loyola 26, Lincoln-Way East 15
That didn’t take long. Ryan Fitzgerald threw a 15-yard TD pass to Jack Collins with 10:48 remaining in the first quarter, landing Loyola (14-0) a quick 7-0 lead over Lincoln-Way East (13-1).
On fourth-and-goal, Fitzgerald grinded out a 3-yard TD run with 17 seconds left in the second quarter to boost the advantage to 13-0. Caden O’Rourke came up big for the Griffins, however, by blocking the extra-point attempt.
Lincoln-Way East countered with a fourth-and-goal conversion of its own, with Braden Tischer rolling out and throwing a 2-yard TD pass to Trey Zvonar with 3:23 left in the second quarter. That whittled the deficit down to 13-7.
The Ramblers, however, responded with a big play as Fitzgerald connected with a wide-open Nicholas Arogundade down the right sideline on a 32-yard TD pass with 13 seconds left until halftime.
Kade Fatland gave the Griffins hope with 6:47 left in the third quarter, recovering a fumble on the goal line. But Andrew MacPherson cut back and scored on a 12-yard run with 10:11 left in the fourth to give Loyola a 26-7 lead.
Lincoln-Way East rallied again, though, as Tischer hooked up with Cade Serauskis on a 7-yard TD with 7:23 remaining in the fourth. Tischer ran in the 2-point conversion to bring the Griffins within 26-15.
But Loyola stood tall, literally and figuratively. It’s the third state title since 2018 for the Ramblers but the first under coach Beau Desherow. Read more here.