Adversity hit two-time defending Illinois 8-Man Football Association champion Amboy/LaMoille/Ohio early in Friday’s championship game in Monmouth.

Down two scores to Polo after the first quarter, the Clippers were unfazed. Amboy scored 30 straight points en route to a 30-20 win at Monmouth College’s April Zorn Memorial Stadium.

The defense dug in, and Jose Lopez ran for 292 yards and three touchdowns as Amboy (12-1) became the first three-time state champion in the I8FA.

“It feel great, but I’ve got to give thanks to my O-line,” Lopez said. “They opened up the holes, it was open, and I just had to make the cuts.”

In a battle of two teams with a pair of I8FA state titles, Amboy remains the league’s team to beat after an unprecedented three-peat.

“We have a great coach that pushes us through everything, and that’s all you really need,” Lopez said. “You need a strong head coach who can keep pushing, who has the right game plan. We have a strong line, and that’s what keeps us going.”

Last year’s Amboy team was led heavily by its seniors. This year, a number of new players needed to step up to get it done again.

“They were always there for us,” Lopez said of last year’s seniors. “They did a really good job at passing the torch, and we knew that we had big shoes to fill. Every single one of us did just that.”

Polo’s Mercer Mumford had a huge first quarter to give the Marcos the early advantage. He ran for two touchdowns as Polo (11-2) forged a 14-0 lead.

Lopez got rolling in the second quarter with a 29-yard TD, and Cody Winn caught a 9-yard score from Tanner Welch just 10 seconds before halftime to help tie the game and give the Clippers momentum.

Winn said the play shifted the game in Amboy’s favor. It was Welch’s only completion of the game in five passes.

“I think it was a big momentum shift, and it got us ready to roll,” he said. “It took us into halftime with a good mentality.”

Polo was putting together a strong drive to start the second half, but turned it over on downs at the 6. Amboy held Polo scoreless until Jordan Reed caught a 14-yard TD from JT Stephenson with 1:12 to play.

Amboy coach Scott Payne said it showed a lot for his team to respond after getting down 14-0. Polo also took advantage of a high snap on an Amboy punt for good field position.

“I told the kids before the game, adversity is going to hit throughout this game. It depends on if you flinch or not,” he said. “They bounced back. We got down 14-nothing, didn’t play very well in the first quarter, and they came back in that second quarter and tied it up.

“It just says a lot about these kids and how they just never give up and they just keep fighting.”

One of the biggest catalysts for Amboy this postseason has been Lopez, and he came through again in the biggest game of the season.

“He played great against Milledgeville, and this week I think he played even better,” Payne said. “Nobody really knew about him throughout the season, and then all of a sudden in the playoffs, he started ripping off some really good games.

“Jose played great today, and our offensive line after that first quarter really stepped up and started opening up the holes for him.”

Payne is proud of the three-peat, but directs all the credit to his players.

“The kids are the ones that put in all the work. Us coaches, we just tell them what to do, obviously in the weight room and the running, and they’re the ones that go through and they do it. And they push themselves, and they don’t question us in anything.

“They deserve all the credit in the world, because this is their accomplishment for their hard work since last March.”

Amboy junior Evan Flanagan said it took grit.

“The ‘A’ on our helmets, they mean a lot to us,” he said. “We had to be more physical than the other team.”

Amboy senior Rylan McNinch said this year’s junior class was a big factor in the repeat.

“The juniors were a big help,” he said. “The majority of our offense and defense are juniors or sophomores, so they’ll definitely be back next year.”

Despite the loss, Polo battled in its first state appearance since winning it all in 2021.

Mumford was injured in the third quarter and was unable to return. He finished with 162 yards and two scores. Stephenson threw for 131 yards and a touchdown on his final pass. Polo’s two-point conversion failed, and Amboy recovered the ensuing onside kick before icing the game.

“They started running it down our throats, really, and we didn’t give up,” Stephenson said. “We kept playing. You can’t be mad about that, we just kept going.”

Stephenson said Amboy made some changes on defense after the hot start.

“They’re tough players,” he said. “We shouldn’t be disappointed in ourselves. We made it all the way.”

Polo coach Ted Alston said Amboy’s size and physicality eventually took control of the line of scrimmage in the second quarter.

“Our kids played their hearts out against a really good team,” he said. “They were just a little bit too much for us up front.”

The Marcos were still a play or two away from potentially a different outcome.

“We needed to make a couples here or there that would have really changed things,” Alston said. “It’s a great experience for the kids. I know it’s disappointing for them right now, but I’m glad they got to experience it.”

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Members of the Amboy/LaMoille/Ohio football team hoist the 8-man I8FA championship trophy after defeating Polo 30-20 on Friday, Nov. 21, 2025 at April Zorn Memorial Stadium in Monmouth. (Scott Anderson)