East St. Louis vs. Cary-Grove: How to watch Illinois 6A football state championship game

Watch East St. Louis and Cary-Grove battle for Illinois 6A championship

The East St. Louis Flyers and Cary-Grove Trojans will face off at 1 p.m. CT on Saturday afternoon in the Illinois Class 6A championship game at Hancock Stadium in Normal.

>> Follow live updates from East St. Louis vs. Cary-Grove here <<

East St. Louis is seeking its second straight 6A championship, its fourth title in eight seasons and fifth in 16 years under head coach Darren Sunkett.

Cary-Grove, which defeated East St. Louis 37-36 to win the 6A title in 2021, is seeking its second championship in three seasons and third in six years under head coach Brad Seaburg.

You can watch East St. Louis vs. Cary-Grove live on the NFHS Network.

Illinois high school football: Players to watch at the Illinois state championships

What: Illinois Class 6A football championship game

When: 1:00 p.m. Central Time on Saturday, November 25

Where: Hancock Stadium | Normal, Illinois

How to watch the live stream online: You can watch this game live on the NFHS Network

Live score updates: Follow the game on SBLive Sports for live score updates

features coverage of Illinois high school football including previews, team rankings, top player lists and much more. Follow your favorite teams on SBLive's live high school football scoreboard and download the SBLive Sports App.

Top 25 Illinois high school football rankings (11/21/2023)

East St. Louis (11-2)

The reigning Class 6A champion Flyers opened the season with two losses in their first three games – 36-33 against (Chicago) Mount Carmel in Week 1 and 43-13 against Atascocita in Humble, Texas, in Week 3 – but have won 10 straight since. 

East St. Louis outscored its four playoff opponents 188-38, with the closest game being a 34-18 win over Washington in the semifinals. 

Senior quarterback Robert Battle, a four-year starter committed to Lindenwood University, has passed for 2,034 yards and 26 touchdowns (with just two interceptions) and run for 734 yards and eight scores. 

Junior running back Larevious Woods, a 5-foot-8, 200-pounder, has rushed for 485 yards and four touchdowns in the four playoff games and has a team-high 884 rushing yards and 18 total touchdowns.

The defense is led by senior safety Leontre Bradford, a Purdue commit who has 87 tackles, three interceptions and three sacks. Senior linebacker Bryce Harrison has 87 tackles and four sacks, while sophomore defensive end Keandre McClendon has 84 tackles and five sacks. 

Cary-Grove (11-2)

The Trojans' two losses – against Prairie Ridge in Week 5 and Huntley in Week 7 – were by a combined two points. They have won six straight games going into the championship game.  

Coach Seaburg's squad is averaging 35.2 points per game with a run-heavy offense that has rushed for 4,049 yards.  

The Trojans have a pair of 1,000-yard rushers in sophomore Logan Abrams (1,493 rushing yards, 24 touchdowns) and senior Andrew Prio (1,228 rushing yards, 17 total TDs). Abrams is a 6-3, 219-pounder, while Prio is 5-8 and 160 pounds.

Quarterback Peyton Seaburg, a junior, has passed for 336 yards and 10 TDs and run for 683 yards and six scores.

Senior defensive back Connor Anderson leads the Cary-Grove defense with 127 total tackles, while senior defensive lineman Kyle Jarecki has 65 tackles and six sacks. 

Vote: Who should be SBLive's Illinois High School Athlete of the Week (11/20/2023)?

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ILLINOIS HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL STATE CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEWS

Players to watch at the Illinois football state championships

Illinois 1A title game preview: Lena-Winslow vs. Camp Point Central

Illinois 2A title game preview: Athens vs. Wilmington

Illinois 3A title game preview: Byron vs. Mt. Carmel

Illinois 4A title game preview: Rochester vs. St. Laurence

Illinois 5A title game: Joliet Catholic vs. Nazareth Academy

Illinois high school football all-state: 2023 IHSFCA all-state teams

More coverage: Get live Illinois high school football scores on SBLive Sports. To follow your favorite teams check out the SBLive live high school football scoreboard and download the SBLive Sports App.

- Nate Latsch | latsch@scorebooklive.com | @SBLiveIL