Nov. 28--HALFTIME
4A championship: Phillips 28, Belleville Althoff 7
Phillips is two quarters away from making history and becoming the first Public League team to win a state championship. Phillips junior running back Kamari Mosby has 19 carries for 110 yards and a touchdown, and quarterback Quayvon Skanes has run for two touchdowns and passed for another.
Phillips' defense allowed a first-quarter score but buckled down in the second quarter. The Crusaders were held to 90 yards of total offense and turned the ball over on a fumble. The Wildcats have three sacks, with Amir Watts leading the way with two sacks.
-Bob Narang @bobnarang
3A championship: Bishop McNamara 42, Tolono Unity 0.
Bishop McNamara senior running back Jonathan Ward carried the ball 17 times for 189 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. The Fighting Irish are seeking their fifth state title under long-time coach Rich Zinanni, who has a 333-127 mark in 41 years at the school.
Ward, a Central Michigan recruit, scored on touchdown runs of 56 and 41 yards, while Jerrcio Johnson added a 7-yard touchdown run and Andrew Ariez had scoring runs of 9 and 13 yards in the second quarter.
Bishop McNamara outgained Unity 353 to minus-4 in the half.
-Bob Narang @bobnarang
2A championship: Downs Tri-Valley 27, Auburn, Ill. 0
Peyton Roop rushed for 127 yards and was one of four Vikings to score a rushing touchdown as Tri-Valley took a commanding lead in the 2A title game in DeKalb.
Tri-Valley outgained Auburn 265-98 in the first half, with the Vikings gaining 262 of their yards on the ground. Auburn passed for 79 and rushed for 19.
Brock Danko added 89 rushing yards and a TD for Tri-Valley. Hayden Long and Jake Steiner also scored rushing TDs for the Vikings.
-Will Larkin @Larkin_Will
Prep Bowl: Mount Carmel 16, Curie 0
Mount Carmel, seeking its record 14th Prep Bowl title, have had a significant field position advantage, starting each of their first four possessions in Curie territory but only had a 4-yard A.J. Ries touchdown run and Nate LaBranche's 39-yard field goal to show for it.
Ries' score came two plays after a Curie punt sailed directly into the back of the offensive line, giving Mount Carmel (9-3) possession at the Curie 6-yard-line. The Caravan's second possession started at the Curie 19-yard-line after a shanked punt, but a fumbled quarterback exchange on the next play gave the ball right back to the Condors.
Mount Carmel's lead swelled to 16-0 on A.J. Ries' 60-yard run up the middle on a fake option toss (PAT was wide). That score came on the first play after Curie was called for a roughing the punter call. While the Condors (11-2) have done a respectable job staying in the game, nothing has worked for them on offense. They came in averaging over 375 yards rushing but have only 71 total yards and 64 on the ground in 25 carries. It's been even more feeble for the Caravan on offense -- 48 yards total, all coming on the ground. They have also fumbled three times but were fortunate enough to lose only one of them.
-Steve Reaven @ReavenTrib
1A championship: Arcola 21, Stark County 10
The Strader cousins' big plays on offense, defense and special teams led the Purple Riders to an 11-point halftime lead in their search for their first state title since 1988.
Clayton Strader, a senior quarterback, rushed for a 13-yard touchdown and passed for a 27-yard score to Kollin Seaman. Chase Strader, a senior linebacker, returned an interception 15 yards for a touchdown and recovered a muffed punt that set up the Riders' TD pass.
Stark County struck first and last in the half, with Chase Johnson running for an 11-yard TD on the game's opening drive, and Karl Wallander kicking a 33-yard field goal as time expired.
Arcola gained 122 of its 156 yards on the ground, while Stark County rushed for 97 of its 111 yards.
-Will Larkin @Larkin_Will
PREGAME
Class 1A: Stark County (13-0) vs. Arcola (13-0), 10 a.m. Friday.
In a matchup of undefeated teams, the Arcola Purple Riders are seeking their fourth state championship after winning titles in 1978, 1985 and 1988.
The Purple Riders are a run-based offense, relying on a pair of 1,000-yard runners in Wyatt Fishel (141 carries, 1,929 yards, 33 TDs) and Clayton Strader (111 carries, 1,270 yards, 20 TDs). Arcola has allowed just 61 points this season, with seven shutouts in 13 games.
Stark County manages to blend the pass and run in a good balance on offense. The Rebels, who were runners-up in 1997 and 2008 in Class 1A, have rushed for 3,452 yards and passed for 1,718. Senior running back Chase Johnston leads the team with 302 carries for 2,202 yards and 29 touchdowns, and linebacker Keith Ehnle has a team-best 131 tackles.
Class 2A: Tri-Valley (13-0) vs. Auburn (10-3), 1 p.m. Friday.
The Tri-Valley Vikings are looking for the program's first state title after placing second in 2013 in Class 1A. The Vikings' prolific offense has scored 55 or more points in six games this season, including a 75-0 win in Week 9. Senior running back Hayden Long has rushed for 1,424 yards and 10 touchdowns, and quarterback Peyton Roop has 1,297 rushing yards and 750 passing.
After losing three of their first four games, Auburn enters Friday's title tilt with a nine-game winning streak. Head coach Dave Bates has a 224-92 mark in 29 years at the school, which is playing in the state title game for the first time.
Junior running back Ryan McLaughlin (1,492 rushing yards) and senior quarterback Drew Chance (2,224 yards passing, 22 touchdowns) headline the Trojans' offense.
Class 3A: Bishop McNamara (12-1) vs. Tolono Unity (10-3), 4 p.m. Friday.
The Fightin' Irish are representing the Chicago Catholic League in their first state title-game appearance since placing second in 1998. Under coach Rich Zinanni, who has a 333-127 mark in 41 years at the school, the Irish have won four state titles and placed second three times. Senior running back and Central Michigan recruit Jonathan Ward is the school's all-time leading rusher. He's rushed for 2,165 yards and 32 touchdowns this season. Junior wide receiver Chris Bell, who has caught 31 passes for 805 yards and 14 touchdowns, is the all-time leader in school history in touchdown receptions.
Senior middle linebacker/fullback Jerrico Johnson remains uncommitted, but he has 175 tackles this season. The Irish have wins over defending 7A state champion Providence and Plainfield North, an 8A school.
The Rockets have a deep roster, but have never won a state title. Tolono Unity, which finished second in 2000, 2005, 2009 and 2012, is led by running backs Chandler Cousins (1,356 yards, 24 TDs) and quarterback Steven Migut, who has rushed for 1,049 yards and 21 TDs and passed for 1,757 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Class 4A: Phillips (13-0) vs. Belleville Althoff (13-0), 7 p.m. Friday.
After becoming the second Public League school to play in a championship game in last season's 49-28 loss to Rochester in the 4A final, the Wildcats have a second chance in two years to make history and become the first Public League team to win a state championship.
The Wildcats are led by a stout defense and big-play offense. The Wildcats' defense has allowed 46 points in their last 10 games, including five shutouts. Coach Troy McAllister's group will miss the leadership and hitting ability of senior linebacker and Iowa recruit Amani Jones, who is out for the season with an injury. The Wildcats' front four is imposing, with highly recruited defensive tackle Amir Watts and junior Chris Elmore headlining the unit.
On offense, Quayvon Skanes, a UConn recruit, moved from wide receiver to quarterback before the season opener. Skanes has passed for 460 yards and 12 touchdowns and rushed for 1,317 yards and 32 touchdowns. Junior running back Kamari Mosby leads the team with 2,246 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns.
The Crusaders can score points in a hurry, tallying 62, 58, 46 and 48 points in their four playoff wins. In Week 3, the Crusaders defeated Breese Mater Dei 68-46.
Jaylon Bester and Malik Easley have both run for 1,000-plus yards this season, with Bester leading the team with 1,318 yards and 17 touchdowns and Easley adding 1,096 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Quarterback Jordan Augustine has completed 219 of his 302 passes for 3,509 yards and 40 touchdowns with nine interceptions. C.J. Colden (65 catches, 1,281 yards, 12 TDs) and Keenen Young (72 receptions, 1,049 yards, 16 TDs) are the Crusaders' main receiving threats.
Prep Bowl: Curie vs. Mount Carmel, noon Fri. at Gately Stadium
Public League champion Curie takes on perennial Catholic League power Mount Carmel on Friday afternoon in the 82nd annual Prep Bowl at Gately Stadium.
The Condors (11-2) are looking for their first Prep Bowl title. They've lost the game twice in the last five years -- in 2010 to Fenwick and to Loyola a year ago. It's a much more storied history for the Caravan, who own 13 Prep Bowl titles, the most recent of which came in 2011.
Curie comes in on the heels of a 38-8 win over Simeon, which avenged a 33-21 regular-season loss to the Wolverines. Workhorse running back Chris Baldwin had 90 yards and a score to push his season numbers to 165 carries for 1,645 yards and 30 touchdowns.
Junior ouside linebacker Anthony Watson had two sacks in the game and leads a defense that has only allowed 30 points in three Public League playoff games. Baldwin's younger brother, sophomore Donovan, has 12 sacks and is another mainstay on defense.
Mount Carmel (9-3) advanced to the Prep Bowl with a 7-6 win over rival St. Rita. Defensive lineman Terrell Greer blocked a fourth-quarter PAT try to clinch the victory. Linebacker Mark Mudd also had a big game against the Mustangs, tallying two sacks and an interception in the final minute. The Caravan hope its offense can recover after struggling mightily in a Class 7A second-round 7-0 loss to Glenbard West and only gaining 147 yards of offense against St. Rita.
-Steve Reaven @ReavenTrib
