CHAMPAIGN — East St. Louis trailed at halftime but quarterback Detchauz Wray hit wide receivers Terry Hawthorne and Kraig Appleton for touchdowns to lead the Flyers past Geneva 33-14 to win the IHSA Class 7A title Saturday.
It's the seventh state championship for the Flyers (13-1) and first since 1991.
Wray hit Hawthorne with a 10-yard pass with 8:31 left in the third quarter and Appleton with a 42-yard strike with 10:34 left in the fourth. Both have been invited to All-America games and Hawthorne signed to play for the University of Illinois.
Wray, a junior, was 10-of-20 for 198 yards and four touchdowns.
The Flyers were whistled for a state final game-record 19 penalties for 166 yards.
Geneva (13-1) running back Michael Ratay entered the game with 2,764 yards and a state record-tying 45 touchdowns. But he was held to 91 yards on 26 carries although he caught six passes for 58 yards and nabbed a touchdown pass from Brandon Beitzel.