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Usually in most postseason runs the teams that meet in the state championship game will meet a little bit of resistance at least somewhere along the way.
That’s not the case for the combatants in the Class 1A championship game. Both Lena-Winslow and Belleville Althoff have flipped the postseason switch and have gone into overdrive on their respective roads to the state championship.
Here’s a closer look at the two teams squaring off in the Class 1A title game, which will get underway at 10 a.m. Friday in Normal.
Lena-Winslow (13-0)
Head coach: Ric Arand (260-67, 28th season)
Last title-game appearance: 2023, lost to Camp Point Central 14-0 in Class 1A title game
Path to state
• defeated Clifton Central, 70-32
• defeated Stockton, 44-14
• defeated GCMS, 40-7
• defeated LeRoy, 42-13
Offensive stalwart
Alec Schlichting, RB/LB: Schlichting’s stat line seems more fitting for a video game stat line than reality. Schlichting is averaging nearly 14 yards per carry and is within striking distance of a 2,000-yard rushing season.
Defense stalwart
Landon Grindey, DE: Grindey leads Lena-Winslow in tackles, but its truly a balanced defensive effort from Lena-Winslow as two other players are just two tackles behind Grindey. Also, don’t expect Grindey to leave the field much as he starts at left guard as well. He is one of eight Lena-Winslow players that plays heavily on both sides of the ball.
The wildcard
Cobryn Lynch, S: Lynch suffered an injury that left his ability to even play to be in doubt. He was a preseason favorite to be one of the conference players of the year, but battled back to fill a needed role on Lena-Winslow’s defense. It’s frightening to imagine how dangerous this team would have been offensively had Lynch been able to carry over his offensive productivity from a year ago.
Stat book
• Lena-Winslow’s primary running backs have combined for over 3,100 yards rushing and 47 touchdowns.
• The Panthers have rushed for 4,461 yards this season and are averaging nearly nine yards a carry on all attempts.
• Lena-Winslow has attempted just 23 passes all season, completing 12 with five of those going for scores.
The skinny
Lena-Winslow’s title game run was snapped last season in a loss to Camp Point Central and while this year’s version in the regular season didn’t seem as dominant in years past, it seems like maybe they were just easing into the postseason. In the postseason they’ve looked more like the dominant force the program has become over the last decade. There’s little doubting that this will be the most challenging opponent Lena-Winslow has had to deal with this season, particularly on defense, but the Panthers enter the game confident that they can compete with anyone at the small school level.
Belleville Althoff (13-0)
Head coach: Austin Frazier (33-19, fifth season)
Last State Title Game Appearance: 2015, lost to Chicago Phillips 51-7 in Class 4A title game
Path to state
• defeated Dupo, 60-0
• defeated Carrollton, 43-21
• defeated Casey-Westfield, 54-7
• defeated Camp Point Central, 58-19
Offensive stalwart
Dierre Hill Jr., RB: The only thing that effectively slowed down Hill Jr. this season was an injury. It limited him to just 124 carries on the season, but he did a whole heck of a lot with those opportunities. Hill, an Oregon recruit, rushed for over 17 yards a carry with 37 touchdowns and eclipsed 400 yards rushing in the semifinal game against Camp Point Central alone.
Defense stalwart
Jason Dowell, DL: The 6-foot-4, 288-pound Missouri commit would seem more prone to showing up on a team playing on Saturday during the finals as the big man has given small school offensive lineman nightmares as the Crusaders have moved through the playoffs.
The wildcard
Jayden Ellington, QB: Opponents seem very worried about dealing with Hill Jr. and rightfully so, but in doing so they likely can’t put as much attention on Ellington, an impressive sophomore who has completed 72% of his passes with 34 touchdown passes against just two interceptions.
Stat book
• Althoff has scored 683 points this season with an incredible 322 of those coming in the first quarter of games.
• Althoff treasures its possessions. It hasn’t fumbled the ball away to an opponent all season and has thrown just two interceptions.
• Althoff has four different receivers with double digit receptions on the season. While Charleston Coldon (38 catches, 762 yards) is the leader of the group, nearly all of those pass catchers are looking to break a big one if they get the ball as almost all of them are averaging around 20 yards a reception.
The skinny
Belleville Althoff didn’t play a single Class 1A team until entering the postseason, playing a schedule littered with schools of much larger classifications and they never once didn’t look the part against those opponents. Other than one game (a 14-10 win over Kaneland), Althoff scored at least 41 points a game, but its defense is also rather salty having held nine foes to two touchdowns or less. On paper, Althoff looks like it might be too much for anyone in Class 1A, but if there’s any team that can push the Crusaders in this classification it appears that it is the opponent that they are facing this week.
FND pick
Belleville Althoff 43, Lena-Winslow 42