Maine South Wins 3rd Straight State Championship

Maine South won its third straight state championship Saturday night in Champaign by beating Mount Carmel 28-7 for the IHSA 8A title, thus wrapping up a season of ups and downs.

The Hawks dropped two early games, including getting embarrassed on national TV, lost 10 players and experienced a number of injuries.

The state championship game was built up to be another defensive showcase, featuring a perennial Catholic League power, Mount Carmel, and the expertise of defensive coordinator Rick Magsamen for Maine South.

The beginning of the game seemed promising with Maine South driving, but the strength of the Caravan defense, plus a costly fumble on fourth down, resulted in no points. The first Mount Carmel drive also held promise but a failed field goal kept the game 0-0.

Then the the Matt Alviti and Paul Preston show began. The Hawks' second drive ended with junior running back Preston running for a 38-yard touchdown, and Maine South began to gain traction.

The Hawks scored on a 56-yard pass from Alviti to senior receiver Imran Khan. After another 8-yard scoring run by Preston and a 36-yard TD dash by Alviti, the game was put away for good. Mount Carmel added a late touchdown for the final score of 28-7.

The Hawks had more than 400 yards of offense compared to only 200 for the Caravan. Alviti threw for better than 300 yards and Preston rushed for more than 150 yards.

For the Caravan, the season has been full of accomplishments. They shared a top spot in the Chicago Catholic League and won some close playoff games en route to making it to the title game and attempting to win their 11th  state crown.

   But the night, and 8A title, belonged to the Hawks.