What you should know as 10 Chicagoland programs play for a title in Normal

Ten Chicagoland prep football programs will play for an Illinois High School Association state championship in Normal.

That includes two based in the city and two that will play for the state title in Class 8A, the IHSA’s largest division.

The state championship games are scheduled for Friday and Saturday at Illinois State University’s Hancock Stadium. The four smaller divisions – Classes 1A through 4A – play on Friday, followed by the four larger divisions – Classes 5A through 8A – on Saturday.

The Class 8A title game concludes the state championships Saturday at 7 p.m. and will pit Loyola Academy from north suburban Wilmette against York Community High School from west suburban Elmhurst.

From the city, DePaul College Prep will play for the Class 4A state title on Friday at 7 p.m., while Mt. Carmel will play for the Class 7A state title on Saturday at 4 p.m.

Tickets are $15 at the door and $17 online, including a digital fee. The games will be broadcast on the Weigel IHSA TV Network and streamed on the NFHS Network. Click HERE on the IHSA website for more information on tickets, parking and ways to watch.

Here’s more information on the 10 Chicagoland teams vying for a state title:

Class 8A

Loyola Academy (Wilmette) vs. York Community High School (Elmhurst), Saturday, 7 p.m

ABOUT LOYOLA ACADEMY:

• Record: 11-2
• Nickname: walker
• Head Coach: Beau Desherow
• Conference: Chicago Catholic
• Playoff road: def. Belleville East, 48-6; def. Chicago Marist, 24-20; def. Maine South (Park Ridge), 35-14; def. Lincoln-Way East (Frankfort), 27-24.
• For your information: The Ramblers have won five IHSA state titles, including each of the last two in Class 8A. They will play a three-peat on Saturday evening.

ABOUT YORK:

• Record: 11-2
• Nickname: Dukes
• Head Coach: Don Gelsomino
• Conference: Western Suburb
• Playoff road: def. Edwardsville, 37-7; def. Oswego, 35-17; def. Warren (Gurnee), 34-15; def. Central (Naperville), 20-15.
• For your information: The Dukes are seeking their first IHSA state championship. They faced Loyola Academy in last season’s Class 8A semifinals and lost 23-14.

Class 7A

Batavia vs. Chicago Mt. Carmel, Saturday, 4 p.m

ABOUT BATAVIA:

• Record: 12-1
• Nickname: Bulldogs
• Head Coach: Dennis Piron
• Conference: DuKane
• Playoff road: def. Collinsville, 54-13; def. Lincoln-Way West (New Lenox), 25-21; def. Downers Grove North, 17-7; def. Lincoln-Way Central (New Lenox), 25-21.
• For your information: The Bulldogs are seeking their third IHSA state title. They were eliminated by Mt. Carmel in the Class 7A field each of the last three seasons, including in the 2022 state championship game.

ABOUT MT. CARMEL:

• Record: 10-3
• Nickname: Caravan
• Head Coach: Jordan Lynch
• Conference: Chicago Catholic
• Playoff road: def. Harlem (Machesney Park), 56-14; def. St. Charles North, 48-15; def. Normal Community, 49-42; def. Chicago St. Rita, 43-24.
• For your information: The Caravan are playing for their third straight Class 7A state title, their fourth in five years and their 16th IHSA state title overall. With 15 state titles entering this week, they are tied with Joliet Catholic Academy for the most titles in state history. The school is located in Chicago’s Woodlawn neighborhood.

Class 6A

Geneva vs. East St. Louis, Saturday, 1 p.m

ABOUT GENEVA:

• Record: 12-1
• Nickname: Vikings
• Head Coach: Boone Thorgesen
• Conference: DuKane
• Playoff road: def. Chicago Amundsen, 49-7; def. Burlington Central, 42-28; def. Seewald, 49-14; def. Cary Grove, 28-26.
• For your information: The Vikings are seeking their first IHSA state championship. They had two state championships, 1975 (Class 3A) and 2008 (Class 7A).

Class 5A

Nazareth Academy (La Grange Park) vs. Joliet Catholic Academy, Saturday, 10 a.m

ABOUT NAZARETH ACADEMY:

• Record: 11-2
• Nickname: Road runners
• Head Coach: Tim Racki
• Conference: East suburban Catholic
• Playoff road: def. Chicago Payton, 54-0; def. Woodstock North, 42-20; def. Rochelle, 42-8; def. St. Francis (Wheaton), 40-21;
• For your information: The Roadrunners are seeking their third straight Class 5A state title and their sixth IHSA state title overall. They played in the championship game last year against Joliet Catholic Academy and won 38-20.

ABOUT JOLIET CATHOLIC ACADEMY:

• Record: 10-3
• Nickname: Hilltoppers
• Head Coach: Jake Jaworski
• Conference: East suburban Catholic
• Playoff road: def. Jacksonville, 58-6; def. Sacred Heart-Griffin (Springfield), 49-0; def. Peoria, 43-8; def. Morris, 42-6.
• For your information: The Hilltoppers are looking to avenge last year’s loss in the Class 5A state title game to Nazareth Academy and win their 16th IHSA state title. They are tied with Chicago Mt. Carmel for the most in state history, with 15 this week.

Class 4A

DePaul College Prep (Chicago) vs. Mt. Zion, Friday, 7 p.m

ABOUT DEPAUL COLLEGE PREP:

• Record: 10-3
• Nickname: Aries
• Head Coach: Mike Passarella
• Conference: Chicago Catholic
• Playoff road: def. Chicago Dyett, 48-8; def. Geneseo, 38-13; def. St. Laurence (Burbank), 26-14; def. Coal City, 21-14.
• For your information: The Rams are seeking their first IHSA state title after qualifying for the playoffs for just the second time. The school is located in the North Center neighborhood of Chicago.

Class 3A

Montini Catholic (Lombard) vs. Monticello, Friday, 4 p.m

ABOUT MONTINI CATHOLIC:

• Record: 11-2
• Nickname: Broncos
• Head Coach: Mike Bukovsky
• Conference: Chicago Catholic
• Playoff road: def. North Lawndale Charter (Chicago), 49-0; def. Byron, 14-13; def. Princeton, 25-7; def. Wilmington, 42-12.
• For your information: The Broncos are seeking their seventh IHSA state title. They won four straight in Class 5A from 2009 to 2012, in addition to the Class 4A state title in 2004 and the Class 6A state title in 2015.

Class 2A

Chicago Christian (Palos Heights) vs. Maroa-Forsyth, Friday, 1 p.m

ABOUT CHICAGO CHRISTIAN:

• Record: 12-1
• Nickname: Knight
• Head Coach: CJ Cesario
• Conference: Chicagoland Christian
• Playoff road: def. Illini West (Carthage), 53-16; def. Tri-Valley Downs, 24-14; def. Bismarck Cooperative, 34-13; def. Farmington, 34-20.
• For your information: The Knights are playing for their first IHSA state title.

Complete schedule

Here is the complete schedule for the IHSA State Football Championships. All games will take place at Hancock Stadium on the Illinois State University campus in Normal.

FRIDAY, NOV. 29

Class 1A: Lena-Winslow vs. Althoff Catholic (Belleville), 10 a.m

Class 2A: Chicago Christian (Palos Heights) vs. Maroa-Forsyth, 1 p.m

Class 3A: Montini Catholic (Lombard) vs. Monticello, 4 p.m

Class 4A: DePaul College Prep (Chicago) vs. Mt. Zion, 7 p.m

SATURDAY, NOV. 30

Class 5A: Nazareth Academy (La Grange Park) vs. Joliet Catholic Academy, 10 a.m

Class 6A: Geneva vs. East St. Louis, 1 p.m

Class 7A: Batavia vs. Chicago Mt. Carmel, 4 p.m

Class 8A: Loyola Academy (Wilmette) vs. York Community High School (Elmhurst), 7 p.m