Rochester claims fifth state title in a row

Rochester rolled up 525 yards of offense, beating Chicago Phillips, 49-28, to win its fifth-consecutive IHSA Class 4A state football championship on Friday in Champaign. It was maybe the most unexpected of the five.

"This team didn't do anything different but it is a little surprising," Rochester coach Derek Leonard said. "I don't think anyone really expected us to be here but that is a testament to these kids."

The Rockets used their fast-paced offense to near perfection, moving the ball nearly at will against the Wildcats, especially in the second half.

"I think we kind of wore them down," Rochester coach Derek Leonard said. "I don't think they had seen a team that goes like we do and I think that helped us."

The Rockets (12-2) also took advantage of a number of miscues by the Wildcats, who became just the second Chicago Public League team to make the state title game.

"We made too many mistakes; penalties, turnovers," Phillips quarterback DeWayne Collins said. "We just didn't do the things we had to do."

Junior quarterback Daniel Zeigler threw for 302 yards and three scores while Evan Sembell rushed for 177 yards and two scores to pace Rochester. Jeremy Bivens caught 8 passes for 163 yards for the Rockets. Collin Stallworth, Collin Etherton and Adam Conrady each caught just one pass but they went for touchdowns.

"This was our best game of the year," Leonard said. "To put up 50 on that team is a little surprising. That team over there is really good."

Phillips (12-2) was led by Corey Warren and Dewayne Collins, who rushed for 189 and 137 yards, respectively.

"We just never had a chance to get into a rhythm," Phillips coach Troy McAllister said. "there was no flow to the game for us at all."

Forreston 20, Carrollton 15: Forreston won the Class 1A state championship on Friday, beating Carrollton 20-15. Quarterback Robert DeVries led the punishing rushing attack of the Cardinals (13-1) with 131 yards and a score. Fullback Spencer Cruthis added 113 and a touchdown and Aaron Shelton had the third score for Forreston. The Cardinals rushed for 369 yards on the day.

Forreston converted three fourth downs on the game-winning, 20-play drive spanning the end of the third quarter and beginning of the fourth, culminating in a DeVries 4-yard run. One of the conversions came on the Cardinals' own 20.

"We didn't think we would gain much with a punt into the wind," coach Denny Diduch said. "It wasn't too hard of a decision and it worked so it was the right one."

Lineman Aidan Carr and DeVries both were demonstrative in their willingness to go for it each time.

"If everyone does their individual assignments we knew we could be successful," Carr said. "We have confidence in each other."

The Cardinals nearly sealed the game midway through the fourth. Leading 20-15 with 7:30 left, Forreston was driving but fumbled into the end zone. Recovered by Carrolton's Jerrett Smith, the Hawks took over on their own six. Carrolton converted a fourth down and one at its 15-yard line but turned the ball over when DeVries intercepted Jacob Smith with 4:56 remaining.

"I was excited that's for sure. I was hoping someone would pick me up and then it just happened to be me that got to make a play," DeVries said. "It was a relief, a big relief."

The Hawks did get the ball back with 2:37 left at their 35 but turned the ball over on downs after a holding penalty in the backfield on second down pinned them 24 yards from a first.

Smith threw for 166 yards and a touchdown and ran for 88 yards and another score for Carrollton (12-2). Linebacker Cody Leonard set a Class 1A record for tackles with 22 for the Hawks. The fourth-down conversions by Forreston were especially tough.

"It was very frustrating that we couldn't get a stop on one of those plays," Leonard said. "Their line was really good and they just kept punching it in. Nothing we could do, they just kept punching it in."

Both teams started slow, trading punts through the first four possessions. By the time the second quarter rolled around both were sufficiently warmed up as they alternated touchdowns on three straight possessions to end the first half.

Eastland Pearl City 41, Maroa-Forsyth 12: Eastland-Pearl City forced five turnovers and scored off each one as the Wildcats rolled to the IHSA Class 2A football state championship, 41-12, over Maroa-Forsyth on Friday.

With three fumbles and two interceptions, the Wildcats put themselves in prime position repeatedly. Throw in a turnover on downs by the Trojans (10-4) from which Eastland-Pearl City scored its first touchdown, and the Wildcats (14-0) were a perfect 6-for-6 in the points-off-turnovers statistic.

The sudden changes in possession helped sway momentum all day.

"It helped get a feel for the game and the speed of the game," quarterback Deven Heeren said. "We were maybe a little tight to start the game but once we settled down we played all right."

Heeren threw for 207 yards and three scores, Cody Kluck caught two of the touchdowns within his 149-yards receiving and added an interception and Walter Ollie had a pick as well as a rushing touchdown.

"It just seemed like we were together the whole game," Kluck said of his success with Heeren. "We've been good all year but it was really good today."

Heeren was good with everyone, hitting 14 of his 16 passes on the day. The Wildcats also ran for 99 yards.

"We're tough to defend," Eastland-Pearl City coach Randy Asche said. "When you can line up five wide one play and then go to the (wishbone the next, it makes it tough on teams to stop."

The Wildcats were outgained by the Trojans 332-306, but good field position provided by the turnovers was all they needed to win their first title.

"The momentum that we got each time we took the ball away was big, obviously," Ollie said. "They were tough to bring down so every time we took it away it was a big boost to our confidence."

Kluck had a 24-yard touchdown reception as well as a 61-yard score. Donny Groezinger rushed for 50 yards and Eric Schaney scored from three-yards out for Eastland-Pearl City.

Maroa-Forsyth's Jack Hockaday ran for 201 yards but threw two interceptions and fumbled twice. The Trojans just couldn't finish drives.

"I felt like we could drive the ball all day long," Maroa-Forsyth coach Josh Jostes said. "But you can't turn the ball over. There were a lot of big plays today. Unfortunately, the Trojans weren't on the right end of any of them."

Wilmington 20, Williamsville 17: Before Friday, Wilmington's Jordan Sarr had kicked two field goals in 2014. He doubled that total in the Class 3A state title game, including a last-second 31-yarder to lead the Wildcats to a 20-17 victory over Williamsville.

The Wildcats drove 46 yards, eating up the final 5 minutes and 15 seconds of the game before Sarr booted the game winner. With the game tied, Wilmington coach Jeff Reents only needed to know where Sarr needed the ball to be for his kicker's heroics. So, he asked.

"They said it just had to be inside the 20," Reents said. "We were fortunate to do that and Jordy came up with the biggest kick in Wilmington football history."

Running the clock to near perfection, Reents used his last time out with four ticks left.

"It was such a great game to be a part of," Reents said. "So many kids on both sides made big plays. We were tied so it was easy to give Jordy a chance."

Keeping his head down after the kick, Sarr almost missed the fantastic finish. He looked up just in time to see the ball go through the uprights.

"I knew after it left my foot I hit it pretty good," Sarr said. "I heard the crowd and I looked up and my heart filled with joy."

It's a bit poetic that Sarr should finish the scoring after starting it with a 26-yarder in the second quarter.

"I just do whatever I need to do to help the team," Sarr said. "If I need to kick or block or tackle or whatever... I just try to do what I can. It could easily have been someone else (making the biggest play of the game)."

Williamsville's Adam Clark tied the game at 3 with 19-yard boot in the third. But the Wildcats scored within three plays on the ensuing possession, a 61-yard run by Nick McWilliams.

The Bullets tied it again with 6:30 left in the fourth, a seven-yard scamper by quarterback Luke Bleyer. But the Wildcats (14-0) immediately regained the lead on the ensuing kickoff when Alex Zlomie broke several tackles on his way to a 91-yard return. The Bullets took just a minute to tie it at 17 with a 65-yard pass from Bleyer to Jace Franklin with 5:15 left. Wilmington used the rest of the clock on its 70-yard, game-winning drive.

"They did what they had to do," Williamsville coach Aaron Kunz said. "They did a good job (on the last drive). We just couldn't get a stop when we really needed it.

"You have to give them credit. They made good play calls and got the job done."

McWilliams finished with 120 yards rushing and Nick Hawkins added 73 yards on the ground for Wilmington. Mason Southall was 7-of-9 throwing it for 85 yards.

Franklin, a sophomore, ran for 119 yards in addition to his 65-yard touchdown catch for the Bullets (13-1).