A bitter overtime loss in the Class 6A state semifinals left a bad taste in the mouths of Nazareth’s top returning football players.

The Roadrunners, who sought their fourth straight state title after winning the last three 5A championships, had their hearts broken on their home field in the penultimate round of the postseason. Falling one yard short of victory, Nazareth’s season ended on a failed 2-point conversion in a 28-27 overtime loss to Fenwick.

“That Fenwick loss left a sour taste in all of our mouths,” junior offensive lineman Luke Injaychock said. “We want to win the state title again and get back to where we were... We felt like we could’ve done things that won us the game and that was obviously not our best game. We’re hitting the weight room with intensity.”

Fueled by their stunning defeat, Nazareth’s returning players are already training for the 2026 season. The Roadrunners will bring back two of their All-CCL/ESCC linemen including Injaychock, a three-star 2027 prospect with over a dozen Power 4 offers. The No. 1 interior offensive line prospect in Illinois, Injaychock started at right guard in 2024 before taking over at right tackle in 2025.

“I felt like my junior season was really successful,” Injaychock said. “It was really good to go against some of the top guys in the league and in the country... Moving to tackle, I had to go against faster guys, so I moved my feet a lot better and I felt a lot better with my pass blocking. The biggest transition was mentally, but I got used to it over the summer and I was fine by the games.”

An All-CCL/ESCC Honorable Mention in 2025, Injaychock played over 750 snaps without allowing a sack. The 6-foot-6, 285-pound lineman helped pave the way for an improved rushing attack that featured three backs in Charles Calhoun, Justin Watson and Dylan Wellner. Injaychock holds offers from Ohio State, Illinois, Kansas State, Arkansas, Missouri, Wisconsin, Minnesota and much more.

“Once I get my hands on, I leave them there and that stuffs the D-linemen,” Injaychock said. “Our physicality up front... we play really well as a unit in the run game. We’re always attacking, getting to the linebackers and the second level. That helps open up holes for our running backs to be one-on-one with the safety a lot of times.”

The Roadrunners, who averaged roughly 380 yards per game, will lose their top two wide receivers, Jake Cestone and Trenton Walker. Cestone will continue his career at Illinois State, while Walker, one of the top remaining prospects of the 2026 class, recently pledged to play football at Murray State. Walker, a three-star prospect, is a three-time state champion and a two-time All-CCL/ESCC player.

“I had a great four years at Nazareth and carrying that over to the next level is my biggest goal,” said Walker, who intends to study finance in college. “[Murray State] felt like home. I went on an official visit at the start of the month and it was very nice... It gave me that confidence and that’s why I made that decision.”

Walker emerged as a top receiving prospect during his junior year, posting 77 catches for 1,420 yards and 19 touchdowns. Walker, who held offers from Iowa State, Toledo, NIU, Marshall, Western Michigan and more, brought in 59 catches for 825 yards and six scores during his senior year. The 6-foot-3 wideout played both ways for the Roadrunners, earning time in the defensive backfield.

“I always want to get faster,” Walker said. “Speed training is all I’ve been doing. Smoothness in and out of my breaks is a big part that I want to add to my game... I’ll be playing against guys older than me and I’ve been doing that since I was 14 years old, so it will be something I’m used to... Nazareth really changed my life.”

The Nazareth defense, which registered 62 sacks and 11 forced fumbles over 13 games in 2025, could be even scarier in 2026. Among the eligible returners are junior defensive linemen Chris Kasky and Will McGarry, who combined for 27 sacks. Kasky, a 6-foot-5, 225-pounder who led Nazareth with 68 tackles, is a three-star prospect and the No. 1 ranked 2027 edge prospect in Illinois.

“We know that, if one of us is getting double teamed, then the other one’s free,” said Kasky, who has offers from Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Arkansas, Nebraska, Missouri and more. “We really feed off that back and forth... I want more. I expect to be better next year. The goal is to be better than the year before.”

Kasky had 23 tackles for loss and 12 sacks for the Roadrunners, who held teams to under 113 passing yards per game in 2025. Wellner, who had four interceptions, two forced fumbles and 10 tackles for loss in 2025, was one of Nazareth’s top linebackers. Cashmere Coleman and Henry Sakalas, two juniors with Division I offers, combined for five interceptions in the Nazareth secondary.

“I know teams are game planning for me, so I need to go above and beyond with that,” said Kasky, who earned All-CCL/ESCC honors despite missing two games to a shoulder injury. “I think we really had everything on lock this year and it’s only going to get better. We’re keeping our entire front and we’re only losing one linebacker. We’re really confident in what we could do next year.”