In early October, St. Rita was 2-4 and faced an uphill climb to a playoff berth.
But the Mustangs also had a veteran pass-and-catch duo in senior quarterback Steven Armbruster and Walter Jones.
Turns out, they were just getting started.
‘‘We had that belief [that] we hadn’t played our best football,’’ Armbruster said. ‘‘We believe in ourselves, we believe in each other, believe in the coaching. We’re really showing what we can do right now.’’
“We’re really heating up at a good time.”
For the second consecutive week, the No. 16 Mustangs scored more than 50 points, riding a big third quarter to a 54-34 home victory against No. 6 Batavia in a Class 7A semifinal Saturday.
St. Rita (9-4) will play for the third state title in program history when it squares off against South Side rival Brother Rice (12-1) next Saturday at Hancock Stadium in Normal. It will be a rematch of a Week 3 game the Crusaders won 28-10.
A week after accounting for four touchdowns in a victory against Hersey, Armbruster did one better against Batavia. He was 14-for-22 for 249 yards and four touchdowns passing and also ran for a score.
Jones had six catches for 111 yards and two touchdowns, giving him 10 catches for 296 yards and four touchdowns in the last two weeks. Donovan Evans added seven catches for 89 yards and a touchdown, and Jake Roney’s only reception went for a 39-yard score. Brandon Johnson Jr. ran 15 times for 95 yards and two touchdowns.
The Mustangs led 21-10 at halftime after forcing a turnover on downs at their 2-yard line, then outscored the Bulldogs 26-0 in the third quarter to break the game open.
What flipped the switch on the offense the last two weeks?
‘‘Basically, [it’s] just how hard we work in practice,’’ Jones said. ‘‘I mean, we know if everybody [does] their job, we’re gonna have a successful game. We can put up a lot of points. We’ve just got weapons all over the field. . . . When we put the pieces together, I kind of think we’re unstoppable.’’
Much like Armbruster, coach Martin Hopkins’ faith in the offense never wavered.
‘‘I think they’re kind of seeing it doesn’t matter what’s happening on defense or special teams,’’ Hopkins said. ‘‘They’ve just got to go out and take care of their part.’’
Batavia, which was playing in its fourth semifinal in a row and was seeking a second consecutive berth in the final, didn’t give up, scoring 24 points in the fourth quarter.
Junior quarterback Michael Vander Luitgaren, who passed for 390 yards against Mount Carmel in the title game last year, was 23-for-43 for 290 yards and three touchdowns. Brett Berggren had nine catches for 164 yards and a touchdown. Darin Ashiru and Brennon Zeng also had touchdown catches, and Henry Hahn ran nine times for 94 yards and a score.
‘‘We knew their offense throughout the playoffs was getting more and more explosive,’’ Bulldogs coach Dennis Piron said. ‘‘We’re young on ‘D,’ and it got exposed a little bit. . . . I like that we always fight. We’re gonna give it the best that we can right to the very end.’’