I8FA championship preview: Amboy vs. Milledgeville

Illinois 8-Man Football Association championship

No. 4 Amboy-LaMoille-Ohio (11-1) vs. No. 6 Milledgeville (11-1)

When: 7 p.m. Friday at Monmouth College’s April Zorn Memorial Stadium

X (formerly Twitter) coverage: @Drake_Lansman

Worth noting: This is a matchup of two teams that have competed in the Northwest Upstate Illini Conference. It is the fifth straight year an NUIC team will be in the championship game.

Recent matchups: Amboy 32, Milledgeville 20 (2023), Amboy 40-36 (2022), Milledgeville 24-12 and Amboy 28-18 in the 2021 semifinals.

About the Clippers: Amboy, the defending eight-man champion, defeated No. 1 and previously undefeated Pawnee 52-8 last week to advance to a third straight I8FA championship game. The senior-led group has rolled to seven straight wins after Ridgewood snapped its 17-game winning streak in Week 5. The Clippers held Carson Wort, who has rushed for 2,221 yards and 38 TDs this season, to 80 yards and a TD on 23 carries.

Amboy coach Scott Payne said he’s watched Milledgeville on film throughout the year. They also played each other three straight years in the regular season before this year.

“They’re a good football team. They’re going to be well coached,” Payne said. “Jason Wroble does a tremendous job out there at Milledgeville with his kids and his coaching staff.

“To have two towns that close together going down to play for a state title, that’s exciting. It’s exciting for the area and it’s going to be an exciting week and it’s going to be a really, really good football game. We’re going to have to play really well.”

About the Missiles: This is their first trip to a state football final in school history after beating previously undefeated Polo 28-14 last week. The defense has locked in the past two games, also holding Ridgewood in check in a 16-12 win. Their lone loss this season was a 30-14 setback in Week 6 at Polo.

Milledgeville got off to a good start against Polo as Micah Toms-Smith ran for an 86-yard TD on the Missiles’ first play from scrimmage. Junior QB Karter Livengood, who has stepped up under center after playing receiver earlier in the year, had three TDs and nearly 200 yards to help close out the game, including a game-sealing score on fourth-and-2 with 3:39 to play.

“Getting the lead, we knew we had to eat up the clock 3 yards at a time, and that’s exactly what we did,” Livengood said. “It’s two elite teams going at it, iron on iron, and things fell our way. I think we wanted it more.”

Friday Night Drive pick: Amboy

Players to watch

Dalton Adamec, Milledgeville OL/DL: The senior all-state lineman has been a plow on offense for one of the highest scoring teams in eight-man this season. He is also a run stopper on defense.

Eddie Jones, Amboy QB/DB: The senior leader is efficient through the air and has a knack for getting turnovers on defense. He’s 41-of-64 passing (64%) for 1,036 yards with 17 TDs to three interceptions this season. On defense, he had an interception in the win over Pawnee and recovered a fumble against Martinsville.

Quinn Leffelman, Amboy RB/DE: When Amboy needs tough yards to close out a game, Leffelman has delivered. He is part of a capable senior stable of running backs, including Josh Mckendre (1,138 yards, 22 TDs), Brayden Klein (1,039 yards, 15 TDs) and Ed Fry (473 yards, 4 TDs). The 225-pounder has 522 yards with nine TDs on 39 carries (13.4 yard average).

Karter Livengood, Milledgeville QB/DL: The junior has provided a spark in the backfield after catching 18 passes for 494 yards and eight TDs this season. He scored both TDs in a 16-12 quarterfinal win over Ridgewood and ran for 197 yards and three TDs on 29 carries in last week’s win over Polo.

Micah Toms-Smith, Milledgeville RB/LB: The Missiles’ leading rusher has averaged 10 yards per carry with 732 yards and 15 touchdowns this season. The senior broke off an 86-yard TD run in last week’s win to help avenge the regular-season loss to the Marcos.

Caleb Yanos, Amboy TE/DE: When Amboy is looking for a big play through the air, QB Eddie Jones looks to Yanos. The senior has caught only 29 passes, but he has 752 yards (25.9 yard average catch), and 13 have gone for touchdowns. He had a 78-yard TD catch and run in the win over Pawnee.