It’s never easy reaching a state title game.

Just ask members of the St. Francis High School football program, who entered the playoffs having been eliminated three straight seasons in the semis.

But what the Spartans went through the past several days was one step beyond difficult. Even after earning that elusive victory in the semifinals, the true challenge was just beginning.

The Spartans, scheduled to play Providence at 10 a.m. last Saturday in the Class 5A final, were in the midst of executing their well-conceived preparation plan leading up to the big game. Logistics firmly in place last Friday afternoon, it was time to drive from Wheaton to a Normal hotel for a good sleep before the morning showdown.

With everyone settling in on the bus, they neared the expressway when head coach Bob McMillen received a blunt phone call.

“Turn around,” he was told by St. Francis athletic director Dan Hardwick.

The inconceivable happened. Due to an anticipated snowstorm, the IHSA postponed the state title games for 5A through 8A. The 5A and 6A finals were played Tuesday in Normal, and the 7A and 8A games took place Wednesday in DeKalb.

“The kids were crushed,” McMillen said. “We had a police escort, we had all the fans at the school watching us go. But there wasn’t much we could do about it.”

Providence might’ve been in the same boat, but that’s little consolation while navigating the unknown.

As school officials dealt with myriad issues regarding deposits on hotels, meals and buses — and also negotiated new deals — McMillen sought indoor practice facilities to keep his players sharp during the suddenly open window leading up to Tuesday’s game.

But this team was ready to go Saturday.

It was the program’s first trip to a state football final since winning the 5A title in 2008. In the last month the Spartans topped unbeaten Prairie Ridge and Belvidere North en route to the unforgettable final.

“The school and the community were so excited, it’s been so long since we had this opportunity,” McMillen said. “(The postponement) was a disappointment, but it’s really a matter of keeping the kids focused and understanding the task at hand.”

The adversity didn’t hamper history. St. Francis rallied for a 39-35 victory over Providence to claim the program’s second state title. Quarterback Brock Phillip scored the game-winning touchdown on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line on a keeper with just 11 seconds left.

It was the first December football game in IHSA playoff history.

In a statement, IHSA executive director Craig Anderson called the postponement “unprecedented in the state playoffs’ 51-year history.” No one could have imagined Illinois State University forcing the delay by closing its campus last Saturday, but the reality left eight talented teams twisting in the winter wind.

Playing four games in the middle of the week at two different sites felt like a crossover episode between “The Twilight Zone” and “The Outer Limits.” IHSA football is traditionally a Friday/Saturday affair, other than a handful of Thursday games during the regular season.

Although decades ago, the IHSA actually scheduled first-round playoff games on the Wednesday right after the regular season ended. Winning teams then played their second-round game the following weekend — two or three days later — for a total of three games in about a week.

Crazy, right? McMillen participated in one of those Wednesday first-round games in 1987 when he played for Immaculate Conception (now IC Catholic Prep).

McMillen remembers the game but not the part about playing on Wednesday.

“I have trouble remembering my own kids’ names at times,” he said with a laugh.

After what the Spartans just endured — capped by a win for the ages — I doubt McMillen will ever forget this week.

https://www.dailyherald.com/20251204/prep-football/after-twisting-in-the-winter-wind-st-francis-earned-this-state-title/