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Here we go again.
It seems almost inevitable that Lincoln-Way East and Loyola are going to meet deep in the playoffs in Class 8A and now for the second consecutive season the two stalwarts will lock horns again.
Loyola got the better of Lincoln-Way East last season, winning 13-3 in a defensive slugfest. Both defenses look at their peak performance levels for the rematch, but both offenses have pieces that want to prove they can make an impact, too.
Here’s a closer look at the two teams squaring off in the Class 8A title game at 7 p.m. Saturday:
Lincoln-Way East (13-0)
Head coach: Rob Zvonar (232-42, 23 years)
Last state title game appearance: 2022, lost to Loyola 13-3
Path to state
• defeated Taft, 56-0
• defeated Minooka, 28-0
• defeated Warren, 24-0
• defeated Barrington, 49-6
Offensive stalwart
Nuri Muhammad, RB: Do not let Muhammad’s size fool you. He’s more than capable of not only breaking free for long gainers, but also more than willing to drive for tough yardage in between the tackles as well.
Defense stalwart
Conner Durkin, LB: There’s any number of players that could qualify as the stalwart on the defensive side of the ball for the Grffins, but its Durkin who leads the group into battle. Recently having become the program’s all-time leader tackler, Durkin has a nose for the football.
The wildcard
Stephon Gardner-Gist, WR-DB: Gardner-Gist’s receiving stats aren’t eye-popping, but they are considering that he only just became a regular at the position. He’s capable of making big plays on whatever side of the ball he happens to be playing on.
Stat book
• Lincoln-Way East has surrendered just seven points in its first four playoff games.
• The Griffins have a plus 21 turnover ratio.
• There’s some variety in the Lincoln-Way East receivers room as for different players have at least 18 receptions but none with more than 29 catches (Ryan Usher).
The skinny
Lincoln-Way East’s defense is truly exceptional, having allowed just six points in the postseason against a number of high-quality opponents that had few problems scoring before they ran into the Griffins. Loyola is a different beast entirely, but it seems very hard to believe Lincoln-Way East is all of the sudden going to become extremely penetrable just because Loyola is lining up on the other side.
Loyola (13-0)
Head coach: Beau Desherow (13-0, 1 year)
Last state title game appearance: 2022, defeated Lincoln-Way East 13-3
Path to state
• defeated Plainfield North, 45-9
• defeated Neuqua Valley, 33-6
• defeated St. Ignatius, 41-7
• defeated York, 23-14
Offensive stalwart
Ryan Fitzgerald, QB: A lot of the preseason discussion around Loyola was how they would replace graduated quarterback Jake Stearney, as it turns out no one needed to worry too much as Fitzgerald has been spectacular throwing just one interception against 18 touchdown passes.
Defense stalwart
Colin Scheid, LB: Like Lincoln-Way East there’s plenty of players who could go into this spot but Scheid seems to be the one who gets his nose into the middle of things more often than not.
The wildcard
Nicholas Arogundade, WR: Loyola hasn’t been pushed into many situations this season where it has needed a big play. But when it has, its usually Arogundade who has something to do with it.
Stat book
• There’s almost an even split for Loyola between its rushing and passing yardage on the season, showing an impressive offensive balance few teams manage to muster.
• Loyola has only four turnovers on the season.
•The Ramblers have scored 52 touchdowns on the season, but the scoring is well distributed. Fitzgerald leads the team with 13 scores and Drew MacPherson is the only other player on the team with double-digit scoring with 10 .
The skinny
Loyola has been machine like in Beau Desherow’s first year running the program as the Ramblers haven’t skipped a beat. There really hasn’t been many opportunities for Loyola to be pushed this season, but it certainly looks like another one of those situations will materialize here. But Loyola’s hallmark has been responding to challenges when they arise in impressive fashion and there’s little reason to believe that trend won’t continue.
FND Pick: Loyola 13, Lincoln-Way East 10