Rochester makes it two consecutive state football titles

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. | Rochester's Wes Lunt threw for 506 yards in leading his team to a 42-39 win over Richmond-Burton for its second consecutive Illinois High School Association Class 4A football title.

Richmond-Burton made a furious charge at Rochester after intercepting Lunt at the goal line with little over a minute to go. Relying on the legs of running back Jack Dechow, they marched into Rochester territory before being stopped. Rochester took a knee on the final play of the game. Dechow finished with 244 yards on 31 carries.

Rochester receiver Zach Grant finished with 13 catches for 259 yards, both all-time marks in a title game.

Richmond-Burton ran for 514 yards, another all-time mark, and did not have a pass completion.

The game was played in Memorial Stadium in Champaign.

Class 3A

Aurora Christian 34, Mt. Carmel 7: Aurora Christian quarterback Anthony Maddie ran for 192 yards, and three touchdowns and threw for two more scores as the Eagles (13-1) rolled past Mt. Carmel.

Maddie threw for 92 yards on Friday, including scoring strikes to Cory Windle and Noah Roberts. Brandon Mayes added 62 yards rushing, with Ryan Suttle gaining 44 yards for the Eagles in the first state title for any Aurora school.

Nathaniel Wagne rushed for 75 yards and a touchdown, and Sheldon Hannah had 89 passing yards for the Golden Aces (12-2), along with three interceptions.

Mt. Carmel had two opportunities deep in Aurora Christian's territory, including a first-and-goal at the five-yard line in the first half, only to be turned away both times.

Class 2A

Morrison 23, Casey-Westfield 14: Danny Dennehey threw to Danny Willis for a score, and Willis and Mark McDonnell both ran for touchdowns to lead Morrison to a win over Casey-Westfield.

Dennehey completed 6-of-8 passes for 94 yards, including a 20-yard throw to Willis in the third quarter that gave the Mustangs (13-1) the lead for good. Andy Schaver accumulated 100 yards rushing for Morrison and McDonnell added 91 yards on the ground.

Chase Elder and Heath Huisinga scored on short runs for Casey but the Mustangs defense held the Warriors to just more than 100 yards of total offense on the day, stifling both the Casey pass and run.

Class 1A

Dakota 41, Tuscola 27: Dakota's Jake Apple scored four touchdowns as part of a 373-yard rushing day, leading the Indians to a win against Tuscola.

Appleset the all-time state finals record for rushing in a state title game. He scored Friday on runs of 74, 64, 49 and 10 yards, helping Dakota (12-2) overcome a 14-0 first-half deficit for the school's third state title since 2005.

Indians quarterback Drew Gieseman completed two of his six passes. One was a 15-yard touchdown to Lance McCauley. Gieseman also scored on a 32-yard keeper.

Tuscola quarterback Philip Meyer threw for 222 yards and two scores and ran for 52 yards and another touchdown for the Warriors (11-3). The runner-up finish is Tuscola's third since 2006.