St. Rita coach Martin Hopkins has a good idea of what is happening right now across much of the South Side.
“I’m sure there will be a lot of trash talk this week at Thanksgiving,” Hopkins said.
With the Mustangs and Brother Rice facing off in the Class 7A state championship game and Mount Carmel going for its 17th state title in the Class 8A game, there will be a large contingent of South Siders heading down to Normal on Saturday. Many families on the South Side have connections to all three schools.
Here’s a look at the six state championship games featuring local teams.
Class 8A: Mount Carmel (13-0) vs. Oswego (11-2), Sat. 7
Nobody expects Oswego to be able to challenge Mount Carmel, and the high school football state championship games are often blowouts. But no one expected Cary-Grove to knock off mighty East St. Louis is 2021 or 2023. There is always a chance, especially if lousy weather on Saturday limits Mount Carmel’s passing game.
“We are not the flashiest outfit,” Oswego coach Brian Cooney said. “We still believe in running the football. [We had] a lot of dynamic plays on offense [this season], which is not like us. We are more like three yards and a cloud of dust.”
Sophomore running back Ammar Banire’s emergence over the second half of the season has coincided with the Panthers’ offensive improvement. His 63-yard TD run was the key play in Oswego’s semifinal win against Lockport.
Mount Carmel has punished defensive backfields all season. The Caravan’s trio of star receivers (junior Quentin Burrell, senior Jamari Brown and sophomore Marshaun Thornton) hasn’t been slowed d
own by any opponent, and running back Nathan Samuels is an excellent pass catcher as well.
Mount Carmel quarterback Emmett Dowling has thrown for 3,588 yards and 44 TDs. The Caravan is averaging nine yards per completion and five yards per carry.
Burrell, Thornton, Samuels, Roman Igwebuike (LB), Claude Mpouma (LT), Tavares Harrington (CB), Joey Quinn (DE), Braeden Jones (DE) and Caleb Tucker (DT) are all big-time college recruits, but a “regular” high school player is the heart and soul of the team. Senior Stephen Winkler is the only regular two-way player, starting at tight end and linebacker.
“The kid will play with a dislocated finger and not tape it,” Caravan coach Jordan Lynch said. “One of the toughest, hard-nosed kids I have ever been around. He’s our No. 1 captain for a reason.”
Could Mount Carmel just stick to the trenches and run the ball and beat Oswego? Yes, most likely. The Caravan’s lines are bigger and stronger than Oswego’s. But the Panthers earned their way to Normal with upsets of Maine South and Lockport. It’s always possible they have one more surprise in them.
“Mount Carmel does a terrific job of putting you in conflict,” Cooney said. “We are going to have to be technical in what we are doing. They have talent, both sides of the ball, everywhere. It will be a challenge. Our kids love challenges. It will be fun.”
Class 7A: St. Rita (9-4) vs. Brother Rice (12-1), Sat. 4
The Crusaders are hungry for a state title and tired of playing third fiddle to Mount Carmel and St. Rita on the South Side. Brother Rice’s last state title was in 1981. The Crusaders lost championship games in 1985 and 2018.
Brother Rice has been the second-best team in the area all season, and won 28-10 at St. Rita on Sept. 12. Throw that result out the window. The Mustangs were without quarterback Steven Armbruster and receiver Walter Jones in that game.
St. Rita is on a seven-game winning streak and is averaging 45 points over that stretch. But Brother Rice is a step up in class from all those opponents. The Mustangs’ best chance at pulling off the upset on Saturday is to force turnovers. The Crusaders have thrown eight interceptions and lost two fumbles this season, so that will be a tall task.
Brother Rice quarterback CJ Gray, an Army recruit, has thrown for 1,697 yards and 22 TDs this season. He’s also rushed for 422 yards and 12 TDs. Jameson Davis has rushed for 822 yards and Jaylin Green leads with 927 rushing yards.
Keep a close eye on Brother Rice defensive end Kameron McGee. He’s one of the best players in the country. So far this season, he has 42 tackles, 7.5 sacks and 13 TFLs.
Class 6A: Fenwick (10-3) vs. East St. Louis (10-3), Sat. 1
Many observers believe East St. Louis is even better than Mount Carmel. The Flyers’ record is deceiving. They are the only team in the state that plays against the best teams in the country all season. East St. Louis lost to powerhouses from New Jersey and Florida.
However, East St. Louis doesn’t have a major win yet. Maybe that doesn’t matter, but it is odd for a team in a state title game.
Myson Johnson-Cook (1,107 rushing yards) and Ahmad Coleman (689 yards) are both averaging 11 yards per carry for the Flyers. And East St. Louis quarterback Reese Shanklin has thrown 25 TD passes and just two interceptions.
Fenwick lost to the best teams it played in the regular season (Montini, Mount Carmel, Carmel), but all were very close games, and the Friars pulled off the major win when it really mattered, upsetting Nazareth 28-27 in the semifinals.
“We’ve got nothing to lose,” Fenwick coach Matt Battaglia said. “We are playing with great intensity and violence on the football field. It’s a really tight-knit group that has been together a long time. A lot of kids that have played together since fourth or fifth grade. It’s been really fun watching them embrace this challenge every week.”
The Friars, who won the 5A state title in 2021, are led by linebacker Michael Murphy and brothers Tommy and Jake Theis. The Theis brothers both play defensive back and running back, and grew up around the team. Their dad is Fenwick AD Scott Thies.
The Friars have been one of the area’s most underrated programs the past several years, playing with a chip on their shoulder and forcing themselves into the conversation. Playing the role of a huge underdog against East St. Louis will suit them.
Class 5A: St. Francis (10-3) vs. Providence (10-3), Sat. 10 a.m.
Providence had a significantly better regular season than St. Francis, but the Spartans beat St. Providence 47-35 on Sept. 26. This could be the closest game of the weekend.
St. Francis’ road to Normal was very challenging, and it is clearly playing its best football of the season. The Spartans opened the playoffs with a win against a talented Morgan Park squad and then beat two undefeated teams, Prairie Ridge and Belvidere North.
Safety James McGrath (115) and defensive lineman Jaylen Torres (112) both have more than 100 tackles for St. Francis this season. Spartans senior quarterback Brock Phillip, a first-year starter, has thrown for 2,519 yards and 31 TDs with eight interceptions.
Providence has a pair of quality running backs in sophomore Brayden McKay (793 yards) and junior Broden Mackert (1,610 yards). Sophomore quarterback Dominic Vita is the player to watch. He’s still a work in progress, but has the toughness and talent of a future star.
Class 4A: Montini (13-0) vs. Rochester (12-1), Fri. 7
Montini has been highly-ranked in the Super 25 all season and plowed through the playoffs, winning every game by at least 20 points. The Broncos probably haven’t received enough attention locally. Their wins against Carmel and Fenwick proved they are as good as teams several classes above them.
Montini quarterback Israel Abrams has thrown for 3,647 yards with 36 TDs and four interceptions. He’s one of the best players in the country. Linebacker Santino Tenuta leads the Broncos’ defense with 153 tackles, eight sacks and 33 TFLs.
Rochester is one of the state’s best programs, with nine state championships. The Rockets survived two very close games in the playoffs. They score a lot and allow a lot of points. Running back Kaiden Stout leads the Rochester offense, and defensive lineman Connor Broughton has 22 tackles for a loss.
Class 2A: Wilmington (12-1) vs. Maroa-Forsyth (11-2), Fri. 1
A matchup of powerhouses. Wilmington won titles in 2023 and 2021. Maroa-Forsyth has won two state titles and played in 11 championship games. The Trojans lost to Chicago Christian in the 2A title game last year.
Wilmington runs the ball almost exclusively and has dominated its opponents this season. The Wildcats have rushed for more than 4,00 yards, completed just four passes, and punted only eight times this season.
Ryan Kettman has 1,566 rushing yards and 28 TDs for Wilmington, and Zach Ohlund leads the defense with 80 tackles and five sacks.
Maroa-Forsyth is all about the passing game. Quarterback Ryne Sheppard has passed for 3,191 yards and 41 TDs with two interceptions.