By Mike Carpinelli
Here is a look at the Week 12 results for the teams in the SBLive Illinois Power 25 rankings:
1. East St. Louis (11-2) defeated No. 5 Lemont 32-29
East St. Louis faced off against a tough Lemont team who came into the 6A semifinals with an undefeated record. Lemont jumped ahead early with a 14-0 lead after the first quarter, but the Flyers were able to cut it to 14-6 right before halftime. East St. Louis added another six points in the third quarter and erupted for 20 points in the fourth quarter to seal a 32-29 win and a trip to the 6A state championship for the third year in a row.
2. Mount Carmel (13-0) defeated No. 10 St. Rita 20-9
Mount Carmel clashed with St. Rita for the 101st time in their rivalry series in the 7A semifinals on Saturday. The Caravan offense stalled early on and they found themselves behind 6-0 at halftime. The offense came alive in the second half with 2 touchdowns through the air and the defense scored on a 40 yard interception return to give them a 20-9 victory and a chance at the 7A title next weekend.
3. Loyola Academy (12-1) defeated No. 7 York Saturday 30-3
It was all Loyola during their 8A semifinal matchup against York. With snow coming down, the Ramblers took a 7-0 lead during the first quarter and did not look back. Quarterback Jake Stearney threw a 70-yard touchdown pass and drove the Ramblers down the field for a field goal late in the second quarter to take a 17-3 into halftime. Loyola’s defense was solid all day and did not allow any points in the second half to hand York their first loss all season and move on to the 8A title game by a score of 30-3.
4. Lincoln-Way East (13-0) defeated No. 8 Glenbard West Saturday 31-7
With harsh winds and a blanket of snow on the ground, Lincoln-Way East’s defense caused havoc all day with two interceptions in the endzone and a goal-line stand en route to a 31-7 victory over Glenbard West. With the win, the Griffins remain undefeated on the season and will have a premier matchup with third-ranked Loyola in the 8A state championship game at the University of Illinois next weekend.
5. Lemont (12-1) lost to No. 1 East St. Louis Saturday 32-29
Lemont had top-ranked East St. Louis on the ropes to start the game after taking a 14-0 first quarter lead but could not slow down the Flyers’ rushing attack. The visitors’ 20 fourth quarter points were enough for them to escape with a 32-29 victory.
6. Sacred Heart-Griffin (13-0) defeated No. 13 Rochester 56-42
The Cyclones looked to be defeated early in the second quarter as they faced a 28-0 deficit but were able to cut Rochester’s lead down to 35-21 at half. Rochester started off the second half scoring to make it 42-21, but Sacred Heart-Griffin took over the rest of the way, scoring 35 unanswered points in the final 15 minutes to move on to the 4A state championship by a final score of 56-42.
7. York (12-1) lost to No. 3 Loyola Academy 30-3
Loyola defeated York in the 8A semifinals on Saturday. Although they came up short of the championship game, it was still a historic season for the Dukes as they won 12 games for the first time in school history and earned the outright West Suburban Silver Conference title.
8. Glenbard West (11-2) lost to No. 4 Lincoln-Way East 31-7
Glenbard West moved the ball but could not close out their possessions with points. Lincoln-Way East’s defense was relentless and forced two turnovers in the endzone and stopped Glenbard West on fourth down on their own goal line en route to a 31-7 win. The Hilltoppers finished their season with an 11-2 record.
9. Prairie Ridge (12-1) defeated No. 20 St. Ignatius 21-19
Prairie Ridge and St. Ignatius battled it out to the very end in their 6A semifinal matchup on Saturday. St. Ignatius looked to have given themselves a great chance to move on after taking a 19-18 lead late in the fourth quarter. Standout quarterback Tyler Vasey was able to get Prairie Ridge into field goal range to set up Brogan Amherdt for his first ever field goal attempt from 29 yards out. Amherdt answered the call and split the uprights with a few seconds remaining and Prairie Ridge moved on to the championship game.
10. St. Rita (10-3) lost to No. 2 Mount Carmel Saturday 20-9
In the 101st matchup of their rivalry series, Mount Carmel escaped St. Rita thanks to a second half rally that gave them a 20-9 victory. The St. Rita offense could only manage 3 field goals by Alabama recruit, Conor Talty, and finished their season with a 10-3 record.
11. Sycamore (12-1) lost to No. 25 Nazareth Academy 10-7
In a defensive battle, Nazareth Academy handed Sycamore their first and only loss of the season. With the score 7-3 late in the fourth quarter, sophomore quarterback Logan Malachuk drove the Roadrunners downfield and threw a touchdown pass to take a 10-7 lead. Sycamore had one last chance but the Nazareth defense sealed the victory with an interception.
12. Lake Zurich (11-2) lost to No. 15 Batavia 24-7
Lake Zurich could not get anything going on the offensive side of the ball as they were held to 116 total yards (82 yards came from a one play) by the Batavia defense. Batavia controlled the ball and rushed for 426 yards as a team and Lake Zurich only had three second-half possessions. Lake Zurich finished the season with an 11-2 record.
13. Rochester (11-2) lost to No. 6 Sacred Heart-Griffin 56-42
To begin the contest, Sacred Heart-Griffin did not have an answer for Rochester as the Rockets took a 28-0 lead early in the second quarter. From that point, the Cyclones made their necessary adjustments and outscored Rochester 56-14 the rest of the way to win 56-42 and move on to the 4A title game.
14. Morris (10-3) lost to Peoria 76-56
Morris was not able to adjust to a high-powered Peoria offense on Saturday. The Lions scored 46 first-half points and Morris could not limit their mistakes. The Peoria defense accounted for two touchdowns and the offense put up 597 total yards. Peoria is back in the 5A state title game for the first time since they won it in 2016.
15. Batavia (10-3) defeated No. 12 Lake Zurich 24-7
Batavia totaled 462 yards of offense while holding Lake Zurich to just 116 total yards on Saturday. The Bulldogs showed an impressive rushing attack and controlled the clock for most of the game which limited Lake Zurich to three possessions and four yards of offense in the second half. Batavia moves on to play second-ranked Mount Carmel in the 7A title game next weekend.
16. Maine South (10-2) was eliminated by No. 8 Glenbard West
17. Crete-Monee (10-2) was eliminated by No. 1 East St. Louis
18. IC Catholic (12-1) defeated Byron 35-0
In a rematch of IC Catholic’s playoff loss to Byron last season, the Knights put together a great all around effort to shut out Byron this time. IC’s defense forced a turnover and stopped the Byron offense on fourth down multiple times throughout the game. The Knight’s are moving on to the 3A state championship next weekend in Champaign.
19. Palatine (10-2) was eliminated by No. 12 Lake Zurich
20. St. Ignatius (10-3) lost to No. 9 Prairie Ridge 21-19
The St. Ignatius defense gave a great effort in slowing down the Prairie Ridge triple option offense, but could not hang on for the win. After taking a 19-18 lead late in the fourth quarter, Prairie Ridge drove down and kicked the game-winning field goal with less than 10 seconds left on the clock.
21. St. Francis (Wheaton) (11-2) lost to Providence Catholic 17-14
St. Francis led for a majority of their 4A semifinal game against Providence Catholic but could not hang on. The Celtics took a 17-14 lead with 4 minutes remaining and after driving down to the Providence 20-yard line, St. Francis turned the ball over in the last minute and Providence secured the victory.
22. St. Charles North (10-2) was eliminated by No. 10 St. Rita
23. Lyons Township (10-2) was eliminated by No. 3 Loyola Academy
24. Wheaton North (9-2) was eliminated by No. 12 Lake Zurich
25. Nazareth Academy (9-4) defeated No. 11 Sycamore 10-7
After starting the season with a 2-4 record, Nazareth Academy completely turned its season around and rallied for the seventh consecutive win on Saturday. Sycamore only managed a touchdown in the second quarter and the Roadrunners kicked a field goal to make it a 7-3 game at half. The score remained the same until sophomore quarterback Logan Malachuk threw a touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter to give Nazareth a 10-7 victory. Nazareth moves on to take on Peoria in the 5A title game.
Check out the Illinois high school football playoff brackets here: Class 8A | Class 7A | Class 6A | Class 5A | Class 4A | Class 3A | Class 2A | Class 1A
For live updates and complete statewide results, bookmark our Illinois high school football scoreboard: STATEWIDE ILLINOIS FOOTBALL SCOREBOARD
You can also watch dozens of Illinois high school football games live on the NFHS Network: WATCH LIVE ON NFHS NETWORK
To get live updates on your phone – as well as follow your favorite teams and top games – you can download the SBLive Sports app: Download iPhone App | Download Android App
