Lemont Beats Peoria Notre Dame, Caps Comeback Season with Trip to State

First-year head coach Bret Kooi and the Lemont Indians did it—they found a way to slow down Peoria Notre Dame.

After the Irish struck first, Lemont toughened up its defense and fired back on offense. They took the lead in the beginning of the second half, and never looked back, coming out on top, final score 32-25, in the battle of undefeated teams in the Class 6A semifinals Saturday afternoon at Peoria Stadium.

Quarterback Ryan Dawson launched passes for two touchdowns and carried one. Flynn Nagel added a pair of touchdowns and Lemont’s staunch defense held the Irish (12-1) to 253 total yards.

The Indians (13-0) move on to face Nazareth Academy—which earned its spot in the finals with a 56-28 win over St. Francis—in the title game at 1 p.m. Saturday, at Memorial Stadium in Champaign.

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