One more to go: Althoff faces Lena-Winslow with fourth football championship on the line
Just one assignment remains for the 2024 Althoff Catholic football team to complete its mission this fall — defeat Lena-Winslow.
Althoff is seeking its fourth state championship in school history when the Crusaders take on Lena-Winslow at Hancock Stadium in Normal on the Illinois State University campus at 10 a.m. Friday.
The Crusaders come into the Illinois Class 1A title game on a big-time roll through the playoffs, averaging 53.75 points per game, and giving up just 11.75 points per game in that stretch, including a 60-0 shutout of Dupo in a first-round matchup on Nov. 1.
“The last few weeks I’ve been really happy with our overall offensive execution, resolve, and game-planning process,” said Althoff coach Austin Frazier said. “The offensive staff has done a great job and I expect that to continue into this weekend.”
Lena-Winslow (13-0) is making its eighth state championship appearance since 2010 and is looking to atone for losing to 2023 champion Camp Point Central in last year’s title game. Camp Point Central fell to the Crusaders in last week’s semifinal game in Belleville.
“It’s just been a really cool story and we only have six seniors and they’ve done a great job and then the order last year after getting beat was, all those guys could do was think about getting back to work and their goal was all year long was to get back to state this year,” Lena-Winslow coach Ric Arand said.
The Panthers’ run-based wing-t offense is led by junior running backs Alex Schlichting and Aiden Wild.
“We’re going to primarily run the football and our guys up front put in the dirty work, but those guys are getting all the accolades,” Arand said.
On defense, Lena-Winslow will look to their front seven to try and keep Althoff’s explosive big-play offense from running wild.
“You have to maintain gap responsibility, gap integrity and these guys are no different,” Arand said. “You have to take away every gap and try to surround them and get them down and it’s gotta be a total team effort for the entire game,”
Once again, the Crusaders will seek explosive plays from the likes of senior Dierre Hill Jr. (2,150 yards rushing, 37 touchdowns), the University of Oregon-bound running back who found the endzone five times in Althoff’s semifinal win Saturday.
Sophomore quarterback Jayden Ellington (112 of 155 passing, 34 touchdowns, two interceptions, 9 rushing touchdowns), and senior Boston College-bound wide receiver Charleston Coldon (762 receiving yards, 12 touchdowns).
“It will be the same process we go through every week,” Frazier said. “Trying to get our playmakers into space and whatever the defense dictates, we should be able to make sure that happens.”
On defense, Althoff will lean on senior linebacker Drake Mosley (98 tackles), senior defensive lineman Jason Dowell (78 tackles, 10 sacks), and senior defensive back Baron Vaughn (99 tackles, 4 sacks) to stay strong against a physical Lena-Winslow offense.
Frazier feels that his team will need to lock in and execute on both sides of the ball to bring home Althoff Catholic’s first state championship since 1990.
“Details and discipline,” Frazier said. “We have to be disciplined in our process and not allow extraneous things to affect our game play.”
In the meantime, the Crusaders are excited and ready for the final challenge, the coach said.
“We have fun together and it’s truly been a pleasure coaching these kids and I wish there were still a few weeks of football season left,” Frazier said.
This story was originally published November 28, 2024 at 5:30 AM.