May 16, 2024
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IHSA Class 2A state preview: Wilmington vs. Athens

By Steve Soucie
Wilmington's Kyle Farrell (8) celebrates a big defensive stop during Class 2A semi-final playoff football game between Moroa-Forsyth at Wimington. Nov 18, 2023.

Wilmington's Kyle Farrell celebrates a big defensive stop during Class 2A semifinal playoff football game againstMoroa-Forsyth at Wilmington. (Gary E Duncan Sr. for Shaw Local)

The common thread that runs through most of the teams competing in the state finals this weekend: nearly all have very recent experience in playing for the big prize.

Wilmington certainly meets that standard having claimed the state title in 2021 with a win over Nashville. The Wildcats will aim for their third title in the last 10 seasons.

Athens, on the other hand, is the only team among the 16 remaining that is playing in the state championships for the first time.

Does experience matter on the big stage? Can a lack of it be overcome? Those questions are about to be answered in the Class 2A state title game.

Here’s a closer look at the two teams squaring off in the Class 2A title game at 1 p.m. Friday:

Wilmington (12-1)

Head coach: Jeff Reents (272-64, 30 years)

Last state title game appearance: 2021, Won 24-7 over Nashville

Path to state

• defeated Mercer County, 41-14

• defeated Tri-Valley, 42-14

• defeated Seneca, 20-14

• defeated Maroa-Forsyth, 42-7

Offensive stalwart

Kyle Farrell, RB/LB: It feels like Farrell has been leading the Wildcats offense for several years and he’s still only a junior. He’s ran for over 2,000 yards on the season and has multiple 200-yard plus efforts to go along with his 29 touchdowns.

Defense stalwart

Joey Algood, LB: Wilmington’s defense has a few more underclassmen than a normal Wildcat front. But those younger players have a bedrock to look to leadership-wise in Algood, who also manages to find himself in opponent’s backfields every once in awhile, too, as he has 20 tackles for loss.

The wildcard

Reid Juster, DB/K: Juster is an important cog in the Wildcats secondary but he might bring even more value to the Wildcats in the special teams game. Juster kicked a 54-yard field goal just before half against Seneca in the quarterfinals providing what proved to be critical points. Wilmington has a long history of kickers and once won a state final on a last-minute field goal from Jordan Sarr.

Stat book

• Wilmington fell one yard short of rushing for 4,500 yards in its 13 games this season and have had multiple games this season including its semifinal win over Maroa-Forsyth where it didn’t attempt a single pass.

•Cade McCubbin completed 19 passes this season, but nearly half of them came in one game, a quarterfinal win over Seneca.

•Wilmington ran the ball nearly 600 times this season averaging nearly eight yards per carry, conversely, Wilmington opponents were held to just 677 rushing yards all season and gained nearly half as many yards per attempt as the Wildcats did.

The skinny

Wilmington’s approach won’t waver regardless of what its opponent does. The Wildcats will attempt to run the football as much as humanly possible and attempt to squeeze as much clock as it can if it obtains a lead. Everyone knows it too. But knowing what you have to stop and actually doing it are two entirely different things.

Athens (11-2)

Head coach: Ryan Knox (112-53, 15 years)

Last state title game appearance: First appearance

Path to state

• defeated Piasa Southwestern, 33-7

• defeated Red Bud, 34-13

• defeated Nashville, 28-27

• defeated Shelbyville, 39-6

Offensive stalwart

Cory Craig Jr., FB/LB: Every ground-based offense needs a workhorse and that’s exactly what Craig is. He’s stacked up over 250 carries and has been productive with 1,684 yards and 28 scores.

Defense stalwart

Brayden Leathers, OL/LB: Athens’ defense may have surrendered a few more points than the Warriors may have liked, but that’s really not the fault of Leathers, who seems to be in on just about every defensive play.

The wildcard

Camren Bigard, RB/LB: Bigard is the team’s leading rusher with just under 1,900 yards on the season, but he’s amassed that total with considerably fewer carries than Craig. Odds are if Bigard’s got the ball, he’s probably going to do big things with it. He averages nearly 11 yards a carry.

Stat book

• For as good as Wilmington’s rush offense has been this season, Athens has been even more prolific on the ground, rushing for 5,342 yards on the year.

• Athens doesn’t throw much, but when it does it’s usually a big hit. Athens is averaging 21 yards a completion and 36 percent of its complete passes have gone for touchdowns.

• Athens and Wilmington have a common opponent. Wilmington defeated Maroa-Forsyth 42-7 in the semifinal round. Athens was upended 28-21 by Maroa-Forsyth in Week 9.

The skinny

While it is true that Athens is making its first appearance in a state final, don’t expect the Warriors to be rattled by the moment. This is a solid program that has made several deep playoff runs before but was just unable to break through the last wall. There are a lot of similarities between these two teams and this contest gets to be a showcase for who can perform better from similar styles.

FND Pick

Wilmington 24, Athens 14