There are dominant football teams, and then there’s the Wilmington Wildcats.

The Wildcats capped off one of the most dominant postseason runs in recent IHSA history at Friday’s Class 2A state championship game against Maroa-Forsyth at Hancock Stadium in Normal.

Sparked by yet another monster day on the ground, where they churned out 395 yards on 43 carries, the Wildcats coasted to a 42-6 victory for their third Class 2A state championship in the last five years and fourth state title in program history.

“It’s a dream come true, for sure,” All-State senior RB/DB Ryan Kettman, who led the Wildcats (12-1) with 137 yards and two touchdowns, said. “It’s something where not (many) seniors can really say, ‘I finished my last game as a state champion,’ and that’s something our seniors can say.”

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Wilmington celebrates their 42-6 win over Maroa-Forsyth Friday, Nov. 28, 2025, in the Class 2A football finals at Hancock Stadium at ISU. (Alex T. Paschal)

They made it an entire postseason of running clock victories, opening the scoring when Billy Moore intercepted quarterback counterpart Ryne Shepard and then found pay dirt from 43 yards out 4:29 into the game.

Moore said he couldn’t have imagined starting the game in such strong fashion, crediting his offensive line for giving him room to roll out to the right side untouched for his opening score.

“I was enlightened,” Moore said of his early game highlight reel. “It was really exciting for me and all my teammates.”

Following a Trojan punt that pinned the Wildcats at their own 1-yard line, Hunter Kaitschuck capped off a seven-play, 99-yard drive with a 20-yard touchdown on the first play of the second quarter. Ryan Schrager added a 26-yard touchdown with 8:42 left in the first half. Kettman plunged in from two yards out with 1:35 left in the half.

The Wildcats found one more score in the half, this time on the other side of the ball. After forcing a quick Trojans three-and-out, a sailed long snap on the punt rolled back roughly 40 yards into the end zone, where junior OL/DL Will Wilson fell on it for a touchdown that made it 35-0 at the half.

“I was jumping in the air,” Wilson’s linemate, senior Jack Cutter, said. “That might have been the highest I’ve ever jumped.”

After fumbling on the first play of the second half, the Wildcats forced a turnover on downs and quickly scored again, as Ryan Kettman took the first play 61 yards for a running clock and the game’s final score.

“Just don’t get caught, make sure we get there and score,” Kettman said ran through his head as he ran to the end zone. “ … I don’t think it’s hit me fully yet. I’m still waiting."

The Trojans got on the board when Ryne Shepard found Troy Pullian for a 57-yard touchdown with 8:24 to go.

Beginning with a 70-8 first-round win over West Hancock, the Wildcats outscored their five playoff opponents by a 244-21 margin. They ran for 2,145 yards and 34 touchdowns out of their signature double-wing offense over that stretch, all without attempting a pass.

Head coach Jeff Reents pointed to the Wildcats’ regular season finale, a dominant 44-21 over Illinois Central Eight Conference rival Coal City, as the week where the Wildcats started to turn it up a notch.

“I think coming off the Coal City game the last game of the year and then coming into the playoffs, I think we turned it up a notch,” Reents said. “Our kids really played at a high level and our biggest thing was could we maintain that level of play? And we did that.”

In their 10th state championship appearance since 2006, the Trojans (11-3) will settle for the second-place trophy for the second time in as many seasons after running into a juggernaut Wildcats squad, with Wilmington winning the yardage battle 395-148, including a net of negative-43 rushing yards.

But the way Saturday went doesn’t take away anything from a senior class that made back-to-back title game appearances.

“I can’t be more proud of what they’ve done or how they’ve represented our community, how they do things the right way,” Maroa-Forsyth coach Josh Jostes said. “… We knew we were running into a buzzsaw, it was pretty clear on film. One of the most dominant offensive lines I’ve seen in my 26 years as a head coach. We knew we were fighting an uphill battle but we challenged our kids to keep fighting for 48 minutes. I thought we absolutely did that."

As the Wildcats trek north on Interstate 55 to celebrate with their community, a lot of familiar faces will be joining the festivities. Now 32 years into coaching the Wildcats, Reents and his staff have seen former players return to raise Wildcats of their own, some even returning as assistants and coaches at the lower levels.

“To see our program and community support, as we’ve talked about with how we enter the field and all that, but it goes a long way beyond that,” Reents said. “The relationships that are made between these kids, and now we’re to a point where my staff has been here long enough that we are coaching some sons, and to see that come together is very special.”