I8FA state championship preview: Amboy to face Ridgewood in second straight state title game

The Amboy-LaMoille-Ohio Clippers have had one thing on their mind since a 44-36 loss to West Central in the 2022 Illinois 8-Man Football Association State championship: getting back to that point and finishing the job in 2023.

“You could tell from the start, just the time and the sweat that we put into it. You could tell that we wanted to be back there. You could tell how much it meant to us,” said Amboy junior fullback and defensive end Quinn Leffelman, an I8FA first-team all-state pick this season. “We all remember that feeling after the game. We still talk about it to this day, just how awful it was. We made it our mission to get back there and prove what we can do.”

After a resounding 40-6 win over Polo last week, the Clippers (12-0) have earned another shot at the eight-man state title Friday night.

Like last season, this year’s state championship opponent will be a familiar one: the 10-2 Ridgewood Spartans. The last time these teams played at Woodhull in Week 5, Amboy won 48-42.

But this time, they’ll play at a neutral site – April Zorn Memorial Stadium at Monmouth College – and this time, a state championship is on the line.

Although they won the last matchup, the Clippers came away feeling they could’ve been better prepared. This time, they hope to perform better against the Spartans, especially defensively.

“I think it could be a one or two touchdown win. We weren’t very prepared the first time we played them,” said Amboy senior offensive and defensive lineman Landon Montavon, another I8FA all-state first team selection. “Now we’ve got some pretty tough opponents under our belt. It’s the last week, we’re as prepared as we can be, and we’re ready for them.”

Amboy head coach Scott Payne is expecting another good game, as well.

“We’ve gotten a lot better defensively since that week, but it’s still going to be a close game,” he said. “Ridgewood’s a very well-coached football team. Pat Elder is a hall-of-fame coach for a reason. They’re going to be ready to go, and it’s going to be a really good football game, and it’s going to be exciting, too.”

The undefeated Clippers had four players selected to the I8FA all-state team this season. In addition to Leffelman (110 carries, 865 rushing yards, 17 TDs, 75 tackles, 12 sacks, 12 tackles for loss) and Montavon (55 tackles, 6 sacks, 9 tackles for loss), senior tight end and defensive end Brennan Blaine also was named to the first team.

Blaine, a back-to-back first-team all-state selection, has caught 31 passes for 873 yards and 14 touchdowns and amassed 85 tackles, 16 sacks and 20 tackles for loss this season.

Senior running back and linebacker Landon Whelchel was an honorable mention pick for the Clippers, rushing for 1,573 yards and 22 touchdown on 138 carries, while totaling 99 tackles and 11 tackles for loss.

Junior quarterback Eddie Jones has been extremely efficient through the air this season, completing 46 of 68 passes (67.6%) for 1,172 yards and 19 touchdowns.

On the ground, he’s piled up 248 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries.

From a Clippers’ perspective, the biggest strengths for the Spartans are their offensive line and running game.

“They’re really good at running the ball. They like to run a fullback trap and a tight end counter. I kind of compare it to a Wing-T offense in 11-man,” Payne said. “They’ve got a good offensive line, and they’re a physical football team. They run a really good bootleg pass that is pretty tough to defend, so defensively, we’re going to have to be on our toes this week.

“[We have to] control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball, offensively and defensively. I think that’s kind of what this game is going to come down to, is whether we control the line of scrimmage and are able to run the football and stop the run. Those are the two biggest things, I think, for Friday night.”

Montavon thinks the Clippers will have a good chance to win if they play to their strengths and stick to what they’ve been doing well all season.

“We just have to keep doing what we’re doing. We’ve been doing pretty well, I’d say, getting our blocks down, getting through the line, getting to the next level,” Montavon said. “I’d say if we keep doing what we’re doing, we’ll have a pretty good chance at winning.”