Illinois crowns state football champions

Junior running back Paul Preston rushed for 145 yards and two touchdowns, and sophomore quarterback Matt Alviti passed for a score and ran for a touchdown, leading Maine South (Park Ridge) to a 28-7 win over Chicago Mount Carmel in the Illinois Class 8A football championship last weekend. It was the third straight title for the Hawks.

The Hawks built a 28-0 lead before Mayan Cook caught a 71-yard touchdown pass from Chris Sujka for Mount Carmel's only score with 1:08 left in the game.

"This has been a dream of mine since I was a little kid playing football. I always wanted to be a Maine South player, and I saw myself in the state game. The feeling is indescribable," Preston told the Chicago Tribune.

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WW SOUTH FINISHES UNBEATEN SEASON
Wheaton-Warrenville South, ranked No. 15 nationally by MaxPreps, won its second consecutive Class 7A championship behind the passing arm of University of Illinois quarterback recruit Reilly O'Toole. The Tigers (14-0), who have won 26 straight dating back to the second week of the 2009 season, rallied from four points down for a 26-17 win over Lake Zurich.

O'Toole threw for two touchdowns and 182 yards, and also rushed for 48 yards on 13 carries. Over the entire season, O'Toole passed for 3,187 yards and 42 touchdowns and was intercepted just three times, often ending his play by the third quarter in regular-season games because the Tigers were so far ahead.

"Reilly is the best athlete I've ever coached at Wheaton Warrenville South as an offensive player. The complete package," Tigers head coach Ron Muhitch told the Chicago Sun-Times.

Lake Zurich running back Jacob Brinlee rushed for 226 yards.

Here is a quick glance at the other six state championship games played last weekend at the University of Illinois:

6A: Boylan (Rockford) 48, Aurora Marmion Academy 19
Stars of the game: Tyreis Thomas rushed for 138 yards and two touchydowns, and Frank Cimino rushed for 47 yards and two touchdowns, as Boylan finished off a 14-0 season.
Numbers: Boylan rolled up 415 yards of total offense.

5A: Montini (Lombard) 34, Chatham Glenwood 21
Star of the game: Jordan Westerkamp, a cousin of quarterback Matt Westerkamp, caught seven passes for 146 yards and three touchdowns as Montini successfully defended its state title.
Numbers: Montini‘s defense sacked Glenwood quarterback Miles McAdams six times.

4A: Rochester 24, Rock Island Alleman 7
Star of the game: Colten Glazebrook rushed for 208 yards and two touchdowns, and caught four passes for 89 yards and a touchdown.
Numbers: Rochester (14-0) more than tripled Alleman in total offense, 414 to 119.

3A: Illini West (Carthage) 22, Stillman Valley 20
Star of the game: Nate Bond returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown with 5:14 left, giving Illini West a two-point win and a second consecutive 3A championship.
Numbers: The teams combined for 491 yards rushing, but just 57 passing yards.

2A: Newman Central Catholic (Sterling) 48, Maroa-Forsyth 7
Stars of the game: Tim Wilson and Joe Blessman each ran for three touchdowns; Wilson totaled 177 rushing yards, averaging 8.9 yards per carry.
Numbers: Newman Central had 0 yards passing.

1A: Lena-Winslow 47, Tuscola 14
Star of the game: Quinn Haas rushed for 186 yards and three touchdowns, as Lena-Winslow knocked off 2009 champ Tuscola. Haas, a junior, totaled 1,632 rushing yards and 23 touchdowns this season.
Numbers: Lena-Winslow rolled up 372 rushing yards to Tuscola‘s 49.

A BIG PERFORMANCE
* Ricky Sorrentino's 85-yard interception return for a touchdown were the only points scored in a Fenwick (Oak Park) 6-0 win over Chicago Curie in the 77th Prep Bowl played at Chicago's Soldier Field.

STORYLINES AROUND CHICAGOLAND:
* Plainfield South football coach Mike Briscoe resigned his football position following a 9-2 season. In six years at Plainfield South, Briscoe led the Cougars to two Southwest Prairie Conference championships. They shared the title this year. A former Eastern Illinois linebacker, Briscoe will remain at the school as dean of students.

* Maine South High School is being called to the principal's office.

In this case, the principal's office is the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) headquarters.

IHSA Executive Director Marty Hickman says the association has evidence of counterfeit sideline passes that were produced and distributed by Maine South coaches and others associated with the program. The IHSA also has taken issue with conduct of some of the school's students, who stormed onto the field at the conclusion of the Hawks' win over Loyola Academy in the 8A semifinals.

"We take these abuses very seriously," Hickman said in a statement. "Not only do these actions present significant safety issues, but some could potentially provide a competitive advantage, which may warrant sanctions."

The IHSA ordered Maine South to conduct its own investigation, then appear in front of the IHSA Board of Directors on Dec. 13.

Maine South head football coach Dave Inserra, who has directed the Hawks to a 40-2 record the last three years, has not commented publicly on the matter. Maine Township High School District 207, which oversees Maine South and two other high schools, issued a statement in which officials said a "thorough investigation" will be conducted in advance of Dec. 13.

Schools are allowed 29 sideline passes at the state championship game, in addition to coaches and players, and University of Illinois police told the Chicago Tribune that 10 fraudulent passes were found and violators were escorted away from the sidelines at Memorial Stadium in Champaign.

Hickman said sanctions against Maine South would not likely include the forfeiting of the school's state championship.

Paul Bowker, an online and newspaper sports journalist for 25 years and the author of two Major League Baseball books, covers the Chicago area for MaxPreps. He may be reached at bowkerpaul1@aol.com.