Providence Catholic (New Lenox, Ill.) vs. Cary-Grove (Cary, Ill.)
Players from Cary-Grove will celebrate their playoff success this week.
Photo by John Rowland
Saturday's Illinois 7A state championship game is a rematch of the 2009 Class 6A final won by Cary-Grove. That remains the one and only meeting between these schools located nearly 60 miles apart in the Chicago suburbs in at least the last decade. Although Cary-Grove enters the game with a 13-0 record compared to Providence's 12-1 mark, the Trojans' regular-season schedule was weaker than Providence's and, thus, are probably the underdog in this game. That being said, the Trojans looked like anything but a darkhorse when pummeling Libertyville, 41-7, in last week's semifinals. Sophomore fullback
Tyler Pennington led Cary-Grove with 119 rushing yards and four touchdowns. On the same day, Providence Catholic toppled rival Mount Carmel (Chicago), 42-21. It was the Celtics' second win over the defending 7A champion this year. Senior receiver
Miles Boykin (a Notre Dame recruit) victimized Mount Carmel's secondary with 15 receptions for 204 yards and three touchdowns in the two games this year.
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Just the facts: Including the playoffs, Providence Catholic went 5-1 against fellow members of the Chicago Catholic League Blue Division this season. All five Blue Division members qualified for the postseason and finished with winning records. … Providence Catholic is aiming for its 10th state title but first since 2004. Cary-Grove won its only title in 2009.
Mitch Stephens: Providence Catholic 24, Cary-Grove 21
Kevin Askeland: Providence Catholic 21, Cary-Grove 18
Jamie DeMoney: Providence Catholic 27, Cary-Grove 14
Stephen Spiewak: Cary-Grove 20, Providence Catholic 17
Leland Gordon: Providence Catholic 21, Cary-Grove 18
Colin Ward-Henninger: Providence Catholic 23, Cary-Grove 17
Jamie DeMoney has covered high school sports and recruiting for the past 20 seasons. He is a Regional Content Manager and Product Specialist for XOS Digital and compiles the National Prep Poll (PrepNation) for World Features Syndicate.
