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Libertyville to meet Glenbard West for 7A title

CLASS 7A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP

No. 3 Libertyville Wildcats (13-0) vs. No. 1 Glenbard West Hilltoppers (13-0)

When: 4 p.m. Saturday

Where: Huskie Stadium, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb

TV: Comcast SportsNet Chicago

Radio: WRLR, 98.3 FM, WRLR.FM. Pregame show begins at 3:30 p.m.

Last week in the semifinals: Libertyville def. Bradley-Bourbonnais, 22-17; Glenbard West def. Cary-Grove, 21-6.

Libertyville's road to the state championship game: Has defeated No. 30 Downers Grove North, 56-24, No. 14 Lincoln-Way East, 27-17, No. 6 Normal Community, 41-27 and No. 23 Bradley-Bourbonnais, 22-17.

Glenbard West's road to the state championship game: Has defeated No. 32 Moline, 49-10, No. 16 Mt. Carmel, 7-0, No. 9 Rockford Auburn, 45-14 and No. 5 Cary-Grove, 21-6.

Libertyville's playoff history: Libertyville is making its second straight playoff appearance and its fourth in five years. The Wildcats won the Class 7A title in 2004. Last year, Libertyville was eliminated in the Class 7A semifinals by Cary-Grove, 41-7.

Glenbard West's playoff history: Glenbard West is making its ninth straight playoff appearance. The Hilltoppers have won two state championships (2012 and 1983) and have placed second twice (2009 and 1976). Last year, Glenbard West lost in the semifinals of the Class 8A playoffs to Stevenson, 7-3.

Head coaches: Mike Jones, Libertyville; Chad Hetlet, Glenbard West.

Skinny: Two of the most prolific and dynamic offensive players in the state, quarterback Riley Lees of Libertyville and running back Sam Brodner of Glenbard West, will square off in this state championship battle of unbeatens. Lees, a Northwestern commit, has racked up 4,174 of the Wildcats' 5,383 total yards of offense himself, between his rushing and passing. He has run for 33 touchdowns and 2,404 yards on 211 attempts. Receivers Henry Schmidt (832 yards), Tim Calamari (438 yards) and Cam Shaffer (420 yards) have caught a majority of the 1,770 passing yards that Lees has rolled up. Lees has completed 115 of 204 passes for 24 touchdowns. He has just 6 interceptions. Not surprisingly, it was Lees who scored the winning touchdown for Libertyville on the final play of the game last week, clearing the goal line by inches on a quarterback sneak as time expired. The two-time all-state selection rolled up 338 total yards and scored 3 touchdowns against Bradley-Bourbonnais. "The Lees kid is really special," Glenbard West coach Chat Hetlet said. "He's almost untouchable at times. You can't get a good shot on him. He can sit back in the pocket. He's got a good arm. He keeps plays alive by running around. They get a lot of scores by scramble plays. He's the most dangerous player we've ever had to defend at Glenbard West."… Brodner, a Vanderbilt commit, has rushed for 1,313 yards and 33 touchdowns this season. He can be a workhorse. In last week's semifinal win against Cary-Grove, Brodner carried the ball 50 times for 292 yards and 2 touchdowns. "With Brodner at running back, he gets (Glenbard West) going," Libertyville coach Mike Jones said. "They execute their offense well."… Glenbard West, which won the Western Suburban Silver Conference, has also gotten 654 rushing yards out of running back Isaiah Skinner, averages 36.5 points per game with quarterback Brian Cochrane at the trigger. Two of Cochrane's top receivers are Skinner (344 yards) and Brodner (334 yards). The only time the Hilltoppers didn't score at least 21 points in a game this season was in the second round against Mt. Carmel, a 7-0 win. Defensively, Glenbard West, led by linebacker Nico Gagliano (71 tackles), allows 10.8 points per game and has recorded four shutouts. Seven times this season, the Hilltoppers have allowed seven or fewer points. Last week against Cary-Grove, the Glenbard West defense allowed just 5 first downs and 130 total yards of offense … Libertyville, which won the North Suburban Lake and should regain the services of banged-up fullback Noah Moderwell (694 rushing yards), averages 40.8 points per game. The Wildcats' had their lowest-scoring game of the season last week with their 22 points against Bradley-Bourbonnais. Defensively, Libertyville, led by lineman Ben Kimpler (77 tackles) and linebacker Riley Buncic (89 tackles), allows 14 points per game. The Wildcats have posted 2 shutouts and have allowed seven or fewer points in six games.

Fun fact: Glenbard West head coach Chad Hetlet started his coaching career at Libertyville. He was hired as an assistant coach in 1994, the first year of Randy Kuceyeski's 18-year tenure as head coach.

- Patricia Babcock McGraw

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