November 27, 2024
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IHSA Class 6A state preview: Geneva vs. East St. Louis

By Steve Soucie
Geneva’s Bennett Konkey is tackled by Cary-Grove's Michael Dunkin during an IHSA Class 6A semifinal football game on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, at Geneva High School.

Geneva’s Bennett Konkey is tackled by Cary-Grove's Michael Dunkin during an IHSA Class 6A semifinal football game on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, at Geneva High School. Geneva will look to keep its momentum going against powerful East St. Louis in the state title game. (Gregory Shaver/Gregory Shaver )

East St. Louis advanced to its fifth consecutive state championship game.

But it won’t be facing a team out of the Fox Valley Conference this time around as Geneva foiled Cary-Grove’s attempt to try to beat the powerful Flyers for the third consecutive time in a 6A title game.

Here’s a closer look at the two teams squaring off in the Class 6A title game, which will get underway at 1 p.m. Saturday in Normal.

Geneva (12-1)

Head coach: Troy Thorgesen (33-13, fourth season)

Last title-game appearance: 2008, lost to East St. Louis 33-14 in Class 7A title game

Path to state

• defeated Chicago Amundsen, 49-7

• defeated Burlington Central, 42-28

• defeated Lake Forest, 49-14

• defeated Cary-Grove, 28-26

Offensive stalwart

Talyn Taylor, WR: A fully healthy Taylor put together a stunningly productive season in pacing a prolific Geneva offense. The Georgia recruit eclipsed 1,500 yards receiving and scored 23 touchdowns, making electric play after electric play.

Defensive stalwart

Troy Velez, LB: Velez is one of a number of impact players on an underrated Geneva defensive unit. Velez spends most of his time in the opponent’s backfield having recorded 12 tackles for loss and five quarterback sacks.

The wildcard

Tony Chahino, QB: Chahino had an absolute breakout season as a senior engineering the Geneva offensive attack to prolific heights. Chahino has fired 46 touchdowns for 3,277 yards this season and has done a wonderful job of distributing the ball to multiple performers.

Stat book

• Geneva had four different players score 80 points on the season.

• The Vikings have picked off 21 passes this season.

• Geneva has scored 206 points in the first quarter.

The skinny

Geneva has put together an impressive season in all facets of the game. The offensive attack gets plenty of accolades and those are well deserved, but the Vikings offense is also much more layered that just having one of the state’s elite all-time options at wide receiver in Taylor. Other players such as RB Michael Rumoro and WR Finnegan Weppner have also had huge seasons not to mention the breakout campaign of Chahino. Geneva might even have the firepower at its disposal to get into a scoring battle with the powerful East St. Louis attack.

East St. Louis (12-1)

Head coach: Darren Sunkett (223-64, 24th season)

Last State Title Game Appearance: 2023, lost to Cary-Grove 23-20 in Class 6A title game

Path to state

• defeated Springfield 67-0

• defeated Normal Community West, 48-0

• defeated Chatham Glenwood, 58-14

• defeated Richards, 48-0

Offensive stalwart

Kendrick Lyons, QB: Lyons breaks things down a little differently than previous East St. Louis quarterbacks as he’s much more prone to simply taking what opposing defenses let him have as opposed to looking constantly for a big play. He won’t hesitate to do that either if the option arrives.

Defense stalwart

Keandre McClendon, LB: This is one of the better East St. Louis defensive units in some time and that’s saying something. McClendon is the biggest disruptor of this bunch and has racked up 157 tackles with 12 sacks on the season.

The wildcard

Elmo Gilliam, LB: On a defense full of playmakers, Gilliam always seems to find himself right in the middle of things. Gilliam is one of four players on the East St. Louis defense with 100-plus tackles but he seems to be the one around many of those of impact.

Stat book

• East St. Louis has three ball carriers with at least 496 rushing yards on the season.

• The Flyers also have four different receivers with at least 394 receiving yards on the campaign.

• East St. Louis has shut out six opponents this season including three in the playoffs. The Flyers outscored the opposition 221-14 in four playoff games.

The skinny

East St. Louis has had multiple teams that have come into the state finals as the odds-on favorite, but something seems even more ominous about this particular version of the Flyers. East St. Louis’ lone loss came in overtime against national ranked IMG Academy and it has flexed its powerhouse capabilities all season long starting all the way back with a Week 1 win over 8A finalist Loyola. East St. Louis probably relishes not having to deal with the unique offensive attack plied by Cary-Grove the last few seasons although it is possible that this particular defense may have welcomed that challenge.

FND pick

East St. Louis 41, Geneva 24