IHSA postpones Saturday’s state football championship games due to expected snowstorm

The Illinois High School Association will postpone the state championship football games scheduled for Illinois State University on Saturday because of the impending snowstorm forecast for the state, the organization announced Friday. Illinois State University will close its campus on Saturday because of the incoming storm.

The scheduled games involved Providence and St. Francis in Class 5A, East St. Louis and Fenwick in Class 6A, St. Rita and Brother Rice in Class 7A and Mt. Carmel and Oswego in Class 8A.

Later Saturday, the IHSA announced the 5A game will be played at 3 p.m. Tuesday at ISU and the 6A game after that at 6 p.m. The IHSA is still working on finalizing the new dates and times for 7A and 8A.

A significant winter storm is set to hit northern Illinois this weekend, with the National Weather Service upgrading its alert to a Winter Storm Warning from 3 a.m. Saturday through 6 a.m. Sunday. Forecasters say the region should prepare for 6-10 inches of snow, with locally higher totals possible northwest of a line from Ottawa to Aurora to Waukegan.

There is no word on when and where the games will be moved to, although Northern Illinois University and Soldier Field were among the discussed options for the move.

From an Illinois High School Association press release:

“The Class 5A, 6A, 7A, and 8A state championship games scheduled for November 29 are being postponed.

“The IHSA is currently working with ISU leadership to determine the dates and times of the remaining state title games.

“The games will not be played on Sunday, November 30.

“’The postponement of the IHSA Football State Finals is unprecedented in the state playoffs 51-year history,’ IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson said in a news release. “’All of the competing teams in Class 5A, 6A, 7A and 8A have been alerted that their state championship games will not be played on November 29, but that they will be played in the coming days.

“’We appreciate the patience and understanding of these schools and communities as we work to determine the best and safest solution to rescheduling these contests and crowning state champions in our four largest classes.’”

This story will be updated as developments warrant.