A high school football contest in Chicago transformed into an extremely high-scoring event. On Friday, Quincy Senior High School triumphed over Sarah E. Goode STEM Academy with a score of 88-84 in the initial round of Illinois’ 6A high school football playoffs.
In addition to setting a record for a combined 172 total points—marking a new Illinois state record—the game included a halt to switch fields after it was interrupted due to insufficient daylight.
Per the Illinois High School Association (IHSA), the match was initially slated to occur on Saturday but was moved to Friday afternoon at 3 p.m. CT. The Blue Devils undertook a journey of over 300 miles from Quincy, located to the southwest of Chicago on the Missouri border, to reach Chicago for this event and opted for the Friday timing to minimize hotel expenses.
Quincy arrived as the No. 9 seed, while the No. 8-seeded Sarah E. Goode carried the home-field advantage at their stadium situated in southern Chicago. Goode managed to pull ahead with a slight 60-59 advantage at halftime after an exhausting two-hour offensive battle in the first half; officials decided to limit the halftime break to merely six minutes to conserve some daylight since the field lacked lighting, according to Muddy River Sports’ Matt Schuckman.
Sadly, the game had to be halted with 3:42 remaining due to darkness, with the decision made just prior to 6 p.m. local time. Subsequently, the teams relocated to the field of nearby Englewood STEM High School, which was equipped with lights.
According to the IHSA, the relocation took an hour, allowing the teams to warm up prior to resuming the game. Quincy, leading 88-84, obtained an onside kick after the restart and played out the remaining minutes to secure the victory. Overall, the match extended beyond four hours, accounting for the time spent switching fields.
Junior Quincy quarterback Bryson Little accumulated over 650 yards in passing during the game, achieving a state-record eight touchdown passes along with two additional scores on the ground. Goode’s senior running back Aedan Cleveland amassed over 300 rushing yards and scored five touchdowns.
The 172 total points registered breaks the previous Illinois state record of 166 points, established in 2021. With this victory, Quincy moves forward to the second round of the playoffs, scheduled to continue next weekend.
