Maine South finishes off Loyola
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Maine South scored 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to win the Class 8A high school football championship on Saturday, beating defending champ Loyola Academy 27-17 at Memorial Stadium.
The Hawks (11-3) lost to Loyola (13-1) by a point, 44-43, in the regular season.
This time, the breaks went Maine South's way.
After a huge 66-yard punt by Sean McNulty early in the fourth quarter, a Loyola fumble was recovered at the Ramblers' 17, and Nick Leongas scored on the next play.
On its next possession, Maine South produced a 12-play, 66-yard drive that took up nearly five minutes. McNulty hit an 18-yard field goal to push the Hawks lead to 10 and wrap up the state title for Maine South.
East St. Louis 26, Plainfield North 13: East St. Louis quarterback Reyondous Estes only completed 5 passes, but 3 of those went for touchdowns as the Flyers beat Plainfield North in the Class 7A championship game.
Estes hit Jeff Thomas three times for 105 yards and two of the scores. James Knight caught the other touchdown, and Eric Owens returned an interception 85 yards as East St. Louis (14-0) built a 26-0 lead before two late scores by the Tigers (11-3).
Tyler Hoosman rushed for 77 yards, and Brady Miller added 63 on the ground for Plainfield North. Miller also threw for 130 yards, and Connor Peplow had 7 receptions for 55 yards.
Prairie Ridge 48, Sacred Heart-Griffin 17: Prairie Ridge set a pair of rushing records as the Wolves rolled past Sacred Heart-Griffin 48-17 to claim the Class 6A state title.
Junior quarterback Samson Evans rushed for 274 yards to set the individual rushing mark for Class 6A title games, and the Wolves set the team rushing mark with a total of 544 yards on the ground. It came mostly in small chunks.
Evans gained his yardage on 24 carries, Emmanuel Ebirim racked up 134 yards on 21 carries, and Zach Gulbransen carried the ball 12 times for 100 yards.
Peoria 62, Vernon Hills 48: Peoria showcased its explosive offense in defeating Vernon Hills in the Class 5A championship game.
The Lions' Geno Hess rushed for 215 yards and 2 touchdowns, and quarterback Coran Taylor added 134 yards and three scores on the ground. Taylor also passed for 215 yards and two scores.
Peoria (14-0) averaged 58 points a game entering Saturday's contest. Vernon Hills finished its season at 10-4.