Will Cook County News

By Claude Martinez.

New Lenox – The bleachers were filled at the Class 5A IHSA semifinal, where the Providence Catholic Celtics walked out to the sound of bagpipes and the Oak Forest Bengals were cheered on by their own crowd. It was a winner-take-all matchup, with both teams looking to punch their ticket to the state finals.

In the first half, both Providence Catholic scores came on the ground, as Brayden McKay rushed for a 16-yard touchdown in the first quarter and a 19-yard touchdown in the second.

Halftime: Providence Catholic 14, Oak Forest 0.

In the third quarter, the Celtics kept their foot on the pedal, adding two more scores while allowing only one.

To close the game, Oak Forest mounted a slight comeback, but ultimately fell short by 10 points, giving Providence Catholic the 31–21 victory where they will head to Illinois State University to fight for a state championship against St. Francis (Wheaton) on Saturday November 29 at 10 a.m.

One standout from the game was sophomore quarterback Dominic Vita, who threw a 40-yard touchdown pass.

The WCCN Player of the Game was sophomore running back Bryaden McKay, who was the only player to break free in the first half, putting up two touchdowns on 135 rushing yards. He highlighted a few players on offense, defense, and his quarterback.

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