High school football: State championship in sight, Johnsburg prepares for Rochester

It doesn’t get any easier.

The Skyhawks gave it all they had in last week’s 23-20 overtime win over the defending Class 4A champion, Chicago Phillips. Now the only thing standing between them and a title is the team that won the previous five 4A championships before Phillips.

Nope, not any easier.

But the Skyhawks weren’t expecting things to become easier. Not as they sit on the cusp of their first-ever state championship.

They once again have to defeat an established program, Rochester, which won state titles from 2010 to 2014. Johnsburg never considered itself an underdog against Phillips, and it won’t consider itself an underdog this week.

“Last week, yeah, it was an emotional win for us,” quarterback Riley Buchanan said. “But at the beginning of the season, we never said, ‘Let’s make it to state.’ It was all about winning it.”

Rochester features a pass-heavy attack that relies on a rotating pair of quarterbacks. Junior Nic Baker plays 60 percent to 70 percent of the snaps, according to Rochester coach Derek Leonard. Senior Josh Grant plays the rest. The two have combined for 49 touchdown passes and more than 3,500 passing yards.

“A lot of times when you use two, you don’t have one,” Leonard said. “That’s not the case at all.”

At receiver, brothers Avante’ Cox and D’Ante’ Cox are speedy options and 6-foot-6 Collin Stallworth provides a larger target.

“They’re a high-powered offense,” said Buchanan, also an outside linebacker. “We know that we’ll have to slow them down, but I think we’ve got the defense to do it.”

Johnsburg second-year coach Dan DeBoeuf once listened to Leonard give a talk at a coaching conference.

“I have a lot of respect for not only what he does with his offense, but how he treats his players and runs his program,” DeBoeuf said. “When you’re playing a team like that, you know you have to prepare for everything.”

DeBoeuf referenced second-round opponent Manteno as the closest comparison to Rochester. Manteno quarterback Gavin Zimbelman threw for five touchdown passes and 319 yards in a 49-35 Johnsburg victory.

“We learned some things about ourselves to make some adjustments and move forward,” DeBoeuf said.

In that game, it was largely one receiver, Travalle Calvin, who did the damage (eight catches for 211 yards and three touchdowns). Rochester figures to have a few more capable weapons.

Johnsburg has been trying to keep things normal this week, except for one change. The Skyhawks practiced at Grant on Tuesday and at the Lake Barrington Field House on Wednesday so they could experience playing on turf similar to that at Memorial Stadium.

DeBoeuf and Buchanan believe the team’s confidence is as high as ever.

“We’re still hungry to come out and be on top,” Buchanan said. “We want to end it with a big trophy to bring back to Johnsburg.”

IHSA Class 4A state championship

No. 2 Johnsburg (13-0) vs. No. 5 Rochester (12-1)

When: 7 p.m. Friday at Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Ill.

About the Rockets: Rochester defeated Canton 49-21 in the state semifinals to reach its sixth championship game in seven years. … QB Nic Baker has thrown for 2,418 yards and 28 touchdowns. QB Josh Grant has thrown for 1,177 yards and 21 touchdowns. Grant has also run for 342 yards and four scores. … Twin brothers Avante’ Cox and D’Ante’ Cox have combined for 92 catches, 26 touchdowns and more than 1,500 receiving yards. … 6-foot-6 Collin Stallworth leads the team with 1,028 receiving yards.

About the Skyhawks: Johnsburg beat Chicago Phillips 23-20 in overtime to reach its first state championship game in school history. … RB Alex Peete has rushed for 2,295 yards and 37 touchdowns. … QB Riley Buchanan has thrown for 1,556 yards and 18 touchdowns. … WR Nico LoDolce has caught 55 passes for 901 yards and 12 touchdowns. … DB Blake Lemcke leads the team with 108 tackles. LB Jack Kegel has eight sacks and 41 tackles for loss. … The Skyhawks defense has allowed 10.2 points per game.