By Bobby Narang
The second-to-last week of high school football is shaping up to be a memorable weekend.
The eight-class system is down to 32 teams, heading into the semifinals in each class this weekend.
In Class 4A, Montini (10-2) is one of the headline teams in the coverage area, and will be host to Wilmington Saturday, Nov. 23 at 1 p.m..
The Montini Broncos defeated Princeton, 24-7, the previous weekend behind a big effort from sophomore quarterback Israel Abrams, who sparked the team with a 21-yard touchdown pass to Santino Florio on the final play of the first half. The Broncos beat Princeton for the second straight season in the quarterfinals, led by Abrams’ 11 of-15 passing for 94 yards and two touchdowns.
In Class 5A, Nazareth Academy (10-2) will welcome St. Francis (10-2) to LaGrange Park for an enticing rematch between the two foes. The Roadrunners are two wins away from accomplishing a rare three-peat championship run, after knocking off Rochelle, 42-8, on their home turf in the quarterfinals. The Nazareth Roadrunners will enter the semifinals with a four-game winning streak following a 39-36 defeat at St. Francis October 25. This time, the Roadrunners hope to avenge their regular season defeat on their home turf.
St. Francis handed Sycamore its first loss of the season, pulling out a 10-0 victory in Sycamore Saturday. The Spartans are one of the hottest teams in the state, and have won seven games in a row, including a thrilling, 41-38, overtime victory over DePaul Prep.
Joliet Catholic (9-3) will take on Morris (8-4) in the other 5A semifinal in Joliet. The Joliet Catholic Hilltoppers beat Peoria last week to increase their winning streak to five games. The Hilltoppers have won their last three games by at least 35 points or more.
Cary-Grove (12-0) will travel to Geneva (11-1) for a Class 6A semifinal between two battle-tested teams. The Geneva Vikings crushed Lake Forest 49-14 in the quarterfinals, while the Cary-Grove Trojans mauled Belvidere North, 42-7.
In 7A, Lincoln-Way Central (9-3) will play host to Batavia (11-1) Saturday at 5 p.m.. The Batavia Bulldogs knocked off last season’s 7A runnerup, Downers Grove North, 17-7, in the quarterfinals, and advanced to the semifinals for third straight season. The Bulldogs have some history in the rematch with Lincoln-Way Central, after a 45-17 victory in the second round of the playoffs the previous season.
St. Rita (10-2) will play host to Mt. Carmel (9-3) for a Saturday 3 p.m. 7A semifinal game.
Perhaps the best game of the weekend will feature Lincoln-Way East (12-0) as host to Loyola Academy (10-2) for a 6 p.m. Saturday game. The Lincoln-Way East Griffins, led by Oregon bound quarterback Jonas Williams, suffered a loss in the state championship game at the hands of the Ramblers in each of the last two seasons.
Naperville Central (11-1) will be host to York (10-2) Saturday at 6 p.m. in the other 8A final. The York Dukes dominated Warren in a 34-15 victory last weekend to reach the semifinals for third consecutive season.
Naperville Central downed previously undefeated Lyons, 24-7, to reach the semifinals, limiting the Lions to just under 200 yards of total offense. Naperville Central running back Aiden Clark ran for 107 yards to spark the offense.