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In the first matchup of the 5A IHSA State Playoffs, the Oak Forest Bengals take on the Providence Celtics at 1pm on Saturday, November 22nd. Providence enters this game as the 5 seed and Oak Forest is the 2 seed. Providence comes in with a record of 9-3, while the Bengals are 11-1.
The Celtics’ offense is very high powered. Sophomore Dom Vita has been very good under center with strong receivers Curtis Stubbs II and Xavier Coleman (All-State) have been great assets to the offense. Broden Mackert, running back also earned All-State honorable mention status.
Fullback Joe Levy is a workhorse and all-around strong player, pass catching, rushing, and blocking… his impact is felt. The offense worked behind a line led by All-State Bryce Tencza. The defense led by All Conference players Blake “Gary” Garrigan, Dominic Infelise, Gavin Farley has held teams to just 16 points in the IHSA playoffs.
The defense held number 1 seed Washington to just 6 points in the last round of the playoffs. This defense has gotten very strong at the right time. I reached out to a few players from Providence to talk about their season so far, but I was unable to get any interviews rolling. These guys are hyper focused on this week and I respect that.
The Bengals defense held Peoria to its fewest points scored in a game all season last weekend, after a big game by the defense as a whole, but in particular by Chris Jensen, Niko Aldorondo, and Devin Booth in the rushing game, while Jason Keating, Kevin Sullivan, and Ryan King provided strong coverage. Keating told me:
“The Celtics aren’t bad whatsoever, but I know that with my brothers, we can hang with anybody in Illinois.”
The Celtics offense will by far be the biggest test that this Bengal defense has faced.
The offense led by All-State quarterback Danny Chopp, has had juniors Will McMaster, Neiko Leflore, Ryan Kruswicki, and Ethan Copher step up big time in the playoffs. Chopp told me:
“We are focusing on the little details. We know how much this game means.”
Workhorse Andrew Dawson works on both sides of the ball and looks to have a major impact against the Celtics. The offensive line will have a tough task going up a strong defensive front against the Celtics, and the rushing game had a tough time getting going when running between the tackles last week.
Head Coaches Zac Sadek and Tyler Plantz have turned these teams into great storylines. Sadek in his first season at the helm has led the Bengals to the final four for only the 3rd time in school history, while Plantz has turned a 4-5 team last season into a 9-3 State Championship hopeful this season. Both of these coaches have my deepest respect as they go into this game. Their players love playing for them and have spoken highly about their respective coaching staff. I’d have to say that both programs have an expectation for excellence, and the coaches lead by example.
I won’t speculate on the score or outcome of this game, but what I will say is that neither of these teams should be taken lightly. Both have highly talented offenses with defenses that are capable of making big time plays.
I’ll be following the game and providing updates from the sideline on the Behind the Coaching official Instagram. If you’re unable to attend the game, head on over to our Instagram for updates!
