The State Journal-Register

Three Springfield Area Teams Reach IHSA Semifinals: Evrim Tabag Leads

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Three Springfield-area high school football teams punched their tickets to the IHSA semifinals on Saturday, Nov. 14, following a decisive round of quarterfinal playoff wins.

Rochester and Sacred Heart-Griffin both advanced in Class 4A, while Williamsville secured its spot in Class 3A. The results set up a pair of compelling rematches and road tests across central Illinois.

In Class 4A, Sacred Heart-Griffin (11-1) will travel to face Rochester (11-1) in the semifinals. The two rivals previously met on Oct. 9, when SHG edged Rochester 29-28 on a late two-point conversion. Meanwhile, Williamsville (11-1) will hit the road to take on St. Joseph-Ogden (12-0) in the Class 3A bracket.

The quarterfinals delivered historic offensive outputs and defensive stands across the board. Rochester junior running back Evrim Tabag carved his name into the record books during a 68-42 Class 4A quarterfinal victory over host Highland.

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Tabag tied the all-time scoring record in IHSA playoff history across all classes. He also shattered Class 4A playoff records for scoring and rushing yards by racking up 401 yards and eight touchdowns on just 25 carries.

Remarkably, Tabag accomplished the feat entirely by the end of the third quarter before reserves took the field. He finished just 26 yards shy of the all-time rushing yards record across all classes, which Peoria Richwoods’ T’Nahleg Hall set against Moton in 2017.

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“That was in three quarters,” Rochester coach Derek Leonard told WMAY radio in the postgame interview. “You’ve got to give credit to the o-line, you’ve got to give credit to everybody. They played great, and Evrim did Evrim things, I’m proud of him.”

Junior quarterback Khordell Gregory filled in for injured starting quarterback JP Leonard against Highland, completing 11-of-14 passing attempts for 196 yards and a touchdown. Gregory added 58 rushing yards on eight carries and caught a pass for seven yards.

Sophomore Blake Leonard went 4-for-6 for 32 yards, senior receiver Nate Swaney pulled in four catches for 94 yards, and senior tight end Eli Cox hauled in four catches for 45 yards. Junior Reece Gade rounded out the aerial attack with two catches for 36 yards and a touchdown.

In Class 4A action elsewhere, fourth-seeded Sacred Heart-Griffin dismantled top-seeded Centralia 42-14 after scoring the game’s first 35 points. Senior running back Mikey Groesch led the Cyclones with 180 rushing yards, piling up 144 of them in the first half alone across 23 carries.

Groesch kept the chains moving after Ryan Broomfield opened the scoring with a 9-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Groesch later capped an 8-play, 80-yard drive with a 23-yard touchdown run to push the lead to 14-0 with 7 minutes, 22 seconds remaining in the half.

He crossed the 100-yard mark before intermission and added a 4-yard touchdown run in the third period. Quarterback Cam Brinkman and running back King Bryant contributed 65 and 53 rushing yards, respectively, each punching in a ground touchdown in the second half.

In Class 3A, the Williamsville defense clamped down on Monticello to preserve a 37-23 victory at Paul Jenkins Field. The Bullets surrendered no offensive points after halftime following a 21-21 tie at the break, powered by a pass rush led by senior Easton Catalano and a second-half interception from junior safety Brenton Trickey.

Junior quarterback Keagan Peters accounted for five touchdowns for Williamsville. He scored twice on scoring sneaks, threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Griffin Watkins on fourth down to level the score before halftime, and connected with Cameron Hamilton on a 70-yard touchdown strike that stretched the lead to 34-23 in the fourth quarter.

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