IHSA Football Championships Postponed as Illinois Snowstorm Disrupts Four Title Games

Snowstorm forces IHSA to delay 5A through 8A state finals with new dates and locations still to come

East St. Louis will play Fenwick for the IHSA 6A state championship. / Thomas J. Turney/The State Journal-Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With a snowstorm bearing down on Illinois this weekend, the Illinois High School Association state championship games slated for Saturday at Illinois State University have been postponed.

Four title games — 5A, 6A, 7A and 8A — will now be played sometime after this weekend and possibly at a new location. For now, details for those games, which were scheduled for Hancock Stadium, are still being determined.

IHSA Executive Director Craig Anderson called the disruption historic.

“The postponement of the IHSA Football State Finals is unprecedented in the state playoffs’ 51-year history,” Anderson said in a statement. “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.”

5A and 6A Matchups Still Await Rescheduled Kickoff Times

The 5A showdown will feature St. Francis (10-3) versus Providence Catholic (10-3).

Both finalists upset No. 2 seeds in the semifinals last week. The Spartans, seeded ninth, knocked off Belvidere North 35-13. Providence Catholic, seeded fifth, beat Oak Forest 31-21.

St. Francis quarterback Brock Phillip led the way with 143 passing yards, completing 12 of 14 attempts and throwing three touchdowns to senior receiver Tanner Glock, who caught five passes for 83 yards.

Providence dominated through three quarters, building a 28-7 lead before fending off a late charge from Oak Forest.

Fenwick (10-3) will eventually face East St. Louis (9-3) for the 6A crown.

The Friars advanced with a 28-27 overtime win against Nazareth Academy, getting a 4-yard touchdown run from Jamen Williams with just over a minute left in regulation to tie it. Fenwick survived a missed Nazareth field goal inside the final minute, then got a touchdown pass from Williams in overtime to go up 28-21.

Nazareth answered with a touchdown on its overtime possession, but Fenwick stopped the 2-point try to end it.

East St. Louis rolled past St. Laurence 50-7 behind 168 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns from junior running back Myson Johnson-Cook and 110 rushing yards and 3 touchdowns from fellow junior Ahmad Coleman.

St. Rita-Brother Rice and Mount Carmel-Oswego Set for 7A, 8A Titles

The 7A championship will feature St. Rita (9-4) against Brother Rice (12-1).

The Mustangs handled Batavia 54-34, leading 47-10 entering the fourth quarter before Batavia closed with 24 points.

Brother Rice continued its dominant season by beating Downers Grove North 45-17. The Crusaders outscored Downers Grove North 21-0 in the third quarter and pulled away after taking a 17-10 halftime lead.

Chicago Mt. Carmel (13-0) will take on Oswego (10-2) for the 8A title.

The Caravan jumped out to a 21-0 first-quarter lead and never looked back in a 42-21 win over Fremd. They added three touchdowns in the third quarter to go up 42-6 entering the fourth.

Oswego used a fourth-quarter comeback to edge Lockport. Trailing 7-0 after Lockport scored in the second quarter, the Panthers tied it with a 63-yard touchdown run early in the fourth before kicking a field goal with under 2 minutes left to win it.

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