Prep football recap: 4 teams advance to state finals
And then there were four.
Montini, Batavia, Lake Zurich and Naperville Central will represent the area in IHSA state football championship games Nov. 39-30 at Northern Illinois University's Huskie Stadium.
All four teams will play on Saturday, Nov. 30 in the final four title games in DeKalb. NIU is hosting all eight championship games for the first time and will continue to do so in odd-numbered years through 2021.
Ÿ Montini advanced to play Sacred-Heart Griffin of Springfield by beating Sycamore 42-20 in Saturday's Class 5A semifinal in Lombard. The Broncos will go for their fifth straight state championship at 10 a.m. on Nov. 30.
Ÿ Batavia traveled to Rockford to play undefeated and top-seeded Boylan Catholic and the Bulldogs rolled to a 38-6 win. Batavia will make its second appearance in a state championship game and first since 2006 at 1 p.m. on Nov. 30 when the Bulldogs face Oak Lawn Richards. Richards handed Batavia its only loss of the season, 31-25, on Sept. 6.
Ÿ In Class 7A, Lake Zurich is back in the state title game for the first time since finishing second in 2010 after beating defending state champion Glenbard West 16-7 on Saturday in Glen Ellyn. The Bears will face Mt. Carmel for the state title at 4 p.m. on Nov. 30.
ŸNaperville Central's stunning comeback to beat Marist 27-21 Saturday night catapulted the Redhawks into the Class 8A championship game at 7 p.m. Nov. 30 against Loyola Academy, which ended Stevenson's season in Saturday's semifinal, 15-14. This is Naperville Central's first title game appearance since finishing second in 2001.
All eight championship games will be televised live on the IHSA TV Network. Check the IHSA website for channel listings by provider and for ticket information at Huskie Stadium.
And don't forget to visit our Football Focus website for all the latest news and photo galleries.
Basketball tips off
The boys basketball season tips off Monday night with tournament games throughout the suburbs. The girls' season, which started last week, also continues this week with several more tournament games. Check out our Basketball Focus website for all the latest results, news and photo galleries.