Nazareth flips script on St. Francis again, wins semifinal to advance to third straight state title game

LA GRANGE PARK – Logan Malachuk took the final snap and held the football up high.

Jake Cestone did a backflip behind him.

And with that, Nazareth’s return to a familiar setting was cemented.

[ Photos: Nazareth vs. St. Francis ]

Malachuk threw three touchdown passes, two coming in a tone-setting first quarter. Stanford recruit Gabe Kaminski and the Nazareth defense forced four turnovers. The Roadrunners, just like last year, reversed the result of a Week 9 loss to St. Francis with a 40-21 win over the visiting Spartans in Saturday’s Class 5A semifinal.

Two-time defending champion Nazareth (11-2) advanced to play Joliet Catholic at 10 a.m. Saturday at Illinois State’s Hancock Stadium.

“We practiced all week knowing it would be a tough battle. Our defense played lights-out, and coming out with a bang set the tone,” Malachuk said. “We played our hearts out. This was probably the best game from a full team aspect that I’ve seen us play.”

Malachuk and Kaminski are two of six Nazareth seniors who started as sophomores in the 2022 Class 5A final. Those two, in fact, started as freshmen for a Class 5A quarterfinal team and have won 14 consecutive playoff games.

Now they have Nazareth in the program’s eighth state final since 2014 going for its sixth title in that span.

“This senior group, three- or four-year varsity starters, it’s [unprecedented], never happened here,” Nazareth coach Tim Racki said. “They’ve gone from freshman quarterfinalists to two-time state champions and now another trip downstate.

“Regardless of the outcome, that’s a great day.”

Malachuk, 21-for-29 passing for 319 yards, hit Trenton Walker for a 27-yard TD down the right sideline to complete the game’s opening 11-play drive. Two plays after St. Francis went three-and-out, Malachuk found Cestone one-on-one on a deep post for a 70-yard TD and 14-0 lead just over six minutes in.

“We were starting to run the ball, and they tried to crowd the box,” Malachuk said, “and as soon as I saw that I immediately went deep and we hit a couple big plays. All of my receivers did an amazing job.”

St. Francis (10-3) beat Nazareth 39-36 in the regular-season finale, a game in which Spartans QB Brady Palmer threw four TD passes in a come-from-behind win.

The Roadrunners’ defense was up to the task in the rematch.

Kaminski and Walker had fumble recoveries and Henry Sakalas and Yandiel Colon interceptions for a Nazareth defense that was opportunistic, physical and disciplined.

On St. Francis’ third play from scrimmage, Nazareth did not bite on a reverse throwback to Palmer and deep pass. The Roadrunners sniffed out another reverse pass that went incomplete on the last play of the half, a fourth-and-goal from the 5-yard line with Nazareth leading 20-7.

“We totally switched up our defense. Our defensive coordinator [Keith] Lukes had a great game plan,” Kaminski said. “We just played with two safeties over the top, limiting the big play, forcing them to throw shorter checkdowns. And momentum is a heck of a thing. Once we got that 14-0 lead, momentum was rolling our way.”

St. Francis – trailing 20-7 at the half – got immediate momentum, as Zach Washington returned the second-half kickoff 86 yards for a TD. It lasted 13 seconds. Nazareth’s Edward McClain, Jr., atoning for an earlier lost fumble, took the ensuing kickoff 92 yards down the left sideline.

“They scored, we had to answer,” McClain said. “No. 34 Ben Lukes got two great blocks, opened it up for me, and I just got down the sideline. It was a huge play at the time.”

“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen that,” Racki said, “but that’s the response of this team.”

St. Francis then turned it over on its next three possessions, Colon’s interception coming on the last play of the third quarter. Two turnovers led to Nazareth’s scores – Charles Calhoun’s 3-yard TD, his second, and Malachuk’s 9-yard TD pass to Cestone – that made it 40-14.

Palmer, 11-for-27 for 91 yards, was pressured throughout, his offense never in sync.

“We played awful. We could not have played a worse football game. They did what Naz does, and that’s play more physical, play mistake-free and disciplined football,” St. Francis coach Bob McMillen said. “We didn’t execute and do the things we’re supposed to. We played too tight and too conservative.”

Seth Valeri had an 18-yard TD run in the second quarter and Ian Willis a 33-yard TD run in the fourth for St. Francis, which lost in the semifinals for the third straight season.

“It’s tough,” McMillen said. “We need to get better this offseason.”

Nazareth, meanwhile, sets its sights on a rematch with Joliet Catholic. The Roadrunners beat Joliet Catholic 38-20 in last year’s 5A final and 16-13 in Week 5 this season. Cestone had seven catches for 118 yards and Walker five for 91 for Nazareth on Saturday.

“Just another game,” Malachuk said. “We beat them this year, and we beat them last year, but nothing in the past matters.”