High school football: Cary-Grove prepares to meet Crete-Monee in Class 6A state championship

As a fan, Brad Seaburg appreciates the fortitude shown by Crete-Monee’s football team in the past three weeks of the playoffs.

As Cary-Grove’s coach against the Warriors in the Class 6A state championship game, Seaburg is wary of the Warriors.

Crete-Monee rallied to beat Chatham Glenwood, 40-39, in the second round, then came back from a two-touchdown deficit to defeat Washington, 35-28, in the quarterfinals, which also included a late defensive stand.

Those paled in comparison to Crete-Monee’s 38-35 semifinal win over Richards, which required a touchdown, a successful onside kick and another touchdown in the final two minutes.

“When it happens once, you might think the team’s kind of lucky,” Seaburg said. “When it happens three times in a row, there’s something to it. This team is never out of a game.”

The Trojans (13-0) and Warriors (10-3) are set to kick off at 1 p.m. Saturday at the University of Illinois’ Memorial Stadium. Both teams are playing in their third title game since 2012. Crete-Monee defeated Cary-Grove, 33-26, in 2012 for the 6A championship.

Cary-Grove will bring its triple-option offense that has been so tough to stop, along with an adept passing game. Quarterback Ben McDonald has run for 1,380 yards and 24 touchdowns, and thrown for 1,364 yards with 18 touchdowns.

Fullback Blake Skol has rushed for 1,337 yards, and running back Danny Daigle has 673 rushing yards. Daigle and wide receiver Quinn Priester have 80 receptions between them, each with more than 600 yards receiving.

C-G has been on a roll this season after a heartbreaking 17-13 loss to rival Prairie Ridge in the second round last season. Wolves quarterback Samson Evans raced 66 yards with seven seconds remaining and Prairie Ridge went on to win its second consecutive 6A state title.

“The way we lost was devastating to our seniors,” Seaburg said. “We really felt like we had a team who could have competed for a state championship. My message to the next group coming through was learn how to handle adversity and learn from that game. This year has been outstanding. Our kids have shown such grit and mental toughness.”

The Trojans needed a defensive stop and late drive last week to beat Niles Notre Dame, 28-21. Daigle picked off a pass in the end zone and with less than four minutes remaining, and C-G drove for the game-winner.

“It would mean a lot,” Skol said of winning a state title. “Our entire community would be so happy, and we’ve been working so hard. We have to have a really good week of practice, stay focused and execute when it’s game time. Play fast and play physical and we’ll be successful.”

The Warriors can strike in various ways. They have run for 3,400 yards, but have no 1,000-yard rushers. Crete-Monee coach John Konecki uses Trayvon Rudolph and Vontrell Banks at quarterback, but also uses Rudolph at receiver.

“Trayvon is electric when he has the ball in his hands,” Konecki said. “He does a very nice job running our offense. He’s your prototypical spread quarterback, he can throw the ball and run.”

Rudolph’s playmaking ability stands out on game videos to Seaburg.

“You have to contain the quarterback,” Seaburg said. “The guys have been running all over the place making plays. We have to stop the big plays somehow.”

The Warriors started the season with losses to Lincoln-Way East, Brother Rice and Morris. They have not lost since. Konecki said the past three weeks have been amazing.

“Things have worked out for us, and the ball’s bounced the right direction,” he said. “It’s been unbelievable. I couldn’t be more proud of them. We’re never out of a game, and we can do whatever we set our minds to. This past week, our kids knew they had a shot and kept fighting.”