It was Oct. 25, 2024, and Providence Catholic walked off its home field after suffering a close loss to arch rival Joliet Catholic. Had the Celtics won, they would have had five wins and a strong shot at the postseason. Instead, Providence stayed home a year after advancing to the state semifinals.

On Saturday, about 13 months after that agonizing defeat, Providence lingered on its home field a little longer to soak it all in. The Celtics were 31-21 victors over Oak Forest in the Class 5A state semifinals and locked up their spot in the state championship game.

On one hand, people probably shouldn’t be that surprised. Last year was more of a historical anomaly for the Celtics. They made the semifinals in 2023, lost in the championship game in 2022, and in this century they have more state title game appearances (eight) than losing seasons (five).

Overall, Providence has 10 state championships in 14 appearances. With all of that in mind, perhaps it shouldn’t be that shocking that the Celtics are here. On the other hand, one can’t help but be impressed.

Nine of those 10 state titles came between 1987 and 2004, with the 10th coming 11 years ago. Providence followed up that 2014 title with back-to-back losing seasons, and went from nine wins with a state title appearance in 2022 to eight wins and the semifinals the next year, to a losing record in 2024.

That losing record and the graduation of Gavin Hagan [now at Indiana State] kept external expectations low entering 2025. The Celtics came into the year with a sophomore lining up under center in Dominic Vita. Though Friday Night Drive projected them to make the playoffs, it also expected a third-place finish in the CCL/ESCC Orange.

Instead, the Celtics thrived. Vita completed 70% of his passes during the regular season as the 6-foot-4 standout earned the attention of Northwestern. Senior Bryce Tencza (6-3, 290) reminded the area that he’s been one of the best offensive linemen around the past few years. Running backs Brayden McKay and Broden Mackert combined to overpower most defenses they faced.

The result was a solid 6-3 regular season and the fifth seed in the 5A playoff bracket. Even then, the Celtics closed out the regular season with a 20-17 loss to JCA in the Holy War. That’s the same JCA team that won only four regular-season games.

The Celtics’ other two losses were by 12 points each to St. Francis and Lincoln-Way Central. Midway through the season, Providence was just 3-2.

More than the win-loss column, though, Providence was focused on the grind. Lincoln-Way Central made the state quarterfinals and only had two losses all year. St. Francis, meanwhile, is the team Providence will play for the state title. That kind of slate helped prepare them for the playoffs.

Providence has beaten Springfield, Kankakee, Washington and Oak Forest by a combined total of 97 points. In the Oak Forest game, McKay ran for 136 yards on only nine carries while Mackert added 174 on 19. The two-headed rushing attack has been outstanding, while Tencza and receiver Xavier Coleman were IHSFCA All-State first-team selections. Mackert was an honorable mention.

As coach Tyler Plantz told The Herald-News’ Steve Soucie on Saturday, the process to get here hasn’t always been beautiful, but it’s gotten them here regardless.

“It’s been gradual for sure,” Plantz said after the game. “The best thing about this group is their coachability. So every time we make a mistake, we improve on that mistake.

“The hard thing about it is I feel like we’ve made every mistake and I’m the worst coach in America, but the cool thing is when you get in the playoffs, and you’ve stepped on your tail that many times, you know how to make adjustments to that.”

Now, of course, comes the hardest part. As mentioned earlier, Providence already has played St. Francis once, losing 47-35 on Sept. 26. However, this is now a different Providence team.

That’s what Plantz and company will be counting on when the game kicks off at 10 a.m. Saturday at Illinois State University’s Hancock Stadium in Normal.

“They are a great team,” Plantz said. “We couldn’t be more excited for it.”