The final four IHSA state championship games were delayed, not denied.
A snow storm pushed the Class 5A and 6A games from Saturday to Dec. 2. They didn’t disappoint, setting up the final day of state championship games in DeKalb on Wednesday.
Here are the final scores and top performers from the Class 5A and 6A state championship games from Hancock Stadium in Bloomington, Illinois.
IHSA State Championships: 5A and 6A title games 5A: St. Francis 39, Providence 35
A thriller between Providence and St. Francis came down to a frantic fourth quarter.
Brock Phillip’s seven-yard touchdown cut Providence’s lead to 28-26, as St. Francis failed the tying two-point conversion. But, they took the lead about two minutes later when Phillip scored again to lead 32-28. Providence rallied back with a seven-play, 63-yard drive that ended in the end zone as Dominic Vita’s one-yard keeper put the Celtics ahead 35-32.
St. Francis had one more dive in them with 6:10 left on the clock. The Spartans used the final six minutes on a 17-play march to the end zone, where a Phillip’s one-yard keeper won St. Francis the state title.
5A Top Performer: St. Francis QB Brock Phillip
Phillip was the hero, scoring the game-winning score. He was a one-man offensive catalyst.
He rushed the ball 23 times for 144 yards and five total touchdowns. He also completed 14 of his 25 passes for 226 yards and a passing touchdown, too.
6A: Fenwick 38, East St. Louis 28
The Cinderella Fenwick Friars completed their improbable run. After upsetting No. 1 Nazareth last week, they upset No. 8-seeded East St. Louis for the title thanks to clutch plays in the fourth quarter.
Fenwick led 28-21 until East St. Louis’ Ahmad Coleman tied the game at 28-28 with a four-yard run to cap a 10-play drive. Fenwick responded with a 10-play drive of its own that spanned six minutes of game time and ended in a Noah Sur 31-yard field goal that gave the Friars a 31-28 lead.
That’s when Jake Theis made the play of the game, intercepting an East St. Louis pass and returning it to the Flyers’ three. Fenwick scored on the next play to take a 10-point lead andÂ
6A Top Performer: Fenwick RB/LB Jake Theis
Jake Theis played a complete game for the upset-minded Friars.
Playing both ways, Theis made big plays. On offense, he rushed for 100 yards on just nine attempts and scored two touchdowns. He also caught three passes for 61 yards. But, defense is where he came through in the clutch.
Theis had the game-changing interception that set up the short-yard score that put Fenwick up 10 with two minutes to seal the win. He also had 19 total tackles and a tackle for loss.Â