For three quarters of Friday night’s season opener between host Kankakee and Nazareth, it looked like a lock that the pair would play their fourth straight season opener to be decided by a touchdown or less.

But then the Roadrunners showed why they’re the defending three-time state champions.

Following Dylan Wellner’s one-yard touchdown plunge in the final seconds of the third quarter to break a 12-12 tie, a pair of interceptions and a pair of Jackson Failla to Jake Cestone touchdown passes allowed Nazareth to pull away late for an impressive 33-12 victory.

Cestone, who finished with 95 yards on four catches, said the primetime experience that comes with playing for a program like the Roadrunners helped them find an extra gear down the stretch.

“Being on varsity, for me four years, for [senior WR/DB Trenton Walker] three years, we’ve been in this position before. We’ve been here countless times, we knew what to do, especially in Week 1,” Cestone said. “We’ve been there in state, we’ve been there in the playoffs, this is just routine for us at the end of the day.”

It wasn’t always routine for the visitors on Friday. Kankakee senior Cedric Terrell III took the third play of the game, a short pass from Phillip Turner on a 3rd and 15, and put on the afterburners to put the Kays ahead 6-0 less than 90 seconds in.

After the Kankakee defense forced a three-and-out and turnover on downs on the first two Roadrunner drives and a third that eventually stalled out after a 37-yard fake punt was called back, Nazareth finally found some flow near the end of the first quarter.

Starting at midfield, they moved 25 yards on 14 plays, including a successful 20-yard fake punt run from Frankie Nichols. Although they eventually had to settle for a 25-yard Billy Harding field goal to halve the deficit at 6-3 two minutes into the second, that drive seemed to spark momentum on the visiting sideline.

Following a Kays turnover on downs, the Roadrunners marched 71 yards on 14 plays – capped off by a six-yard touchdown from Nichols to Edward McLain Jr with 1:47 left in the half. A bad snap on a punt from Kankakee’s own endzone led to a safety to make Nazareth’s halftime lead 12-6.

“Just being able to be blessed as one of the leaders of this team, I made sure to come out for the second half and give these guys a talk, make sure everybody got their head straight and make sure we kept the pressure on Kankakee because we had them on the ropes,” Walker, who had five receptions for 77 yards and an interception, said.

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Football: Kankakee vs. Nazareth week 1 Nazareth's Frankie Nichols runs the ball as Kankakee defenders slow him down during Kankakee's 33-12 loss to Nazareth on Friday, Aug. 29, 2025. (Tiffany Blanchette/Tiffany Blanchette)

Minutes after a fumble recovery on the opening drive of the second half, Kays senior Zeke Sherrod snagged a 33-yard touchdown from Turner on a 4th and 10 to knot things at a dozen apiece with 3:56 left in the third.

But then the Roadrunners went to work.

After a misguided Kankakee punt went just nine yards, Nazareth set up shop on the Kankakee 23 with 42 seconds left in the third, needing just three plays for Wellner to score the go-ahead touchdown from a yard out.

Walker picked off a Turner pass on the ensuing drive, and Cestone caught a 26-yard strike from Failla, a senior transfer from Pennsylvania, three plays later. Another interception on the first play of the next Kankakee drive, this time by Henry Sakalas, precluded Cestone’s 57-yard scoring reception from Failla to remove any remaining question as to who would start 1-0.

While he especially credited his team’s redzone defense that stalled out three Kankakee drives, Roadrunners coach Tim Racki was most pleased with the fact all three phases of the game were clicking by the final buzzer.

“What I really liked was that all three phases contributed to the victory,” Racki said. Special teams, offense and defense all had their moments that pieced it together to pull away."

In a search to replace Logan Malachuk, who graduated last spring as the IHSA’s all-time passing leader, both Nichols and Failla were given opportunities Friday. Nichols finished the night 12 for 20 passing for 81 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Failla completed 7 of 13 passes for 155 yards and two scores.

Failla, who echoed Racki’s praise for the team’s redzone defense, also said that ever since he moved into town, he thanked his new team for helping him get comfortable in his first game with the Roadrunners.

“I’m just trying to do the best for my team, just be me and not let everyone down,” he said. “Just really grateful for everyone that’s accepted me here and given me a chance to play.”

The Kays saw spurts of fireworks from Terrell III, who had four catches for 92 yards and a touchdown offensively and an interception defensively, as well as Sherrod, who had the pair of highlight plays in the third. Turner finished the night 7 for 18 passing for 146 yards and two touchdowns and interceptions apiece.

In his first game with the Kays, head coach Ed Hazelett also saw spurts of mistakes that can and need to be fixed.

“We’re disappointed in the outcome of this game because we feel like we can match with them equally,” Hazelett said. “But like I said, things just didn’t go our way and a lot of things were on us. The positive thing is it’s a lot of things we can fix, so I’m excited about that.”