WILMINGTON — The El Paso-Gridley Titans were knocked out of the Class 2A semifinals of the Illinois High School Association football playoffs on Saturday by a Wilmington team that never attempted a pass.
Wilmington used its ground-and-pound attack for five unanswered rushing touchdowns by the midway point of the first half and went on to a 41-0 victory over the Titans in a game that saw a running clock after halftime.
IHSA football playoffs: Semifinal scores | Semifinal top performers | El Paso-Gridley prediction
Wilmington advanced to the Class 2A championship game, set for 1 p.m. Friday at Hancock Stadium in Normal. They will face Maroa-Forsyth (11-2), which beat Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond, 28-6, in the other semifinal.
No. 3-ranked EP-G (12-1) defeated Farmington, 32-15, last week to advance to its first semifinal since since El Paso made the 2002 semis before it consolidated with Gridley. No. 2 Wilmington (12-1) has stormed through the playoffs, outscoring its four opponents 202-15.
El Paso-Gridley trailed 41-0 at halftime in a game in which Wilmington’s run attack was unstoppable.
The Wildcats, who have attempted just five passes all season, pounded out five unanswered touchdowns on the ground by the midway point of the second quarter to coast to a 34-0 lead.
Wilmington stopped the first three El Paso-Gridley possessions on fourth-down plays for turnovers on downs.
Then the Wildcats rattled off three touchdown runs, including one from All-State running back Ryan Kettman (38 yards) and two from Hunter Kaitschuck (12 and 61 yards) for a big first-quarter lead.
They added a 36-yard TD run from Kaitschuck with 10:18 left in the second quarter for a 27-0 lead.
Then senior running back Nate Cupples burst up the middle for a 22-yard touchdown run and 34-0 lead with 6:10 left in the half.
Kettman finished it off with a 23-yard scoring run for a 41-0 lead with 1:42 left in the first half.
The second half started with a running clock, and both teams sent in backups to gain experience in the scoreless final two quarters.
How it added up
Wilmington rolled up 467 yards on 41 carries.
Hunter Kaitschuck had 143 yards on just six carries, three of which went for touchdowns.
Ryan Kettman had eight carries for 129 yards and two touchdowns.
Billy Moore carried three times for 86 yards.
Nate Cupples, who carried for a touchdown, also was at the top of the Wildcats defensive effort with a team-best four tackles and an interception.
El Paso-Gridley had 51 yards on 15 carries, plus 133 yards by air.
Titans quarterback Owen Adams was 10 of 25 passing for 133 yards and an interception. He connected with Owen Bergquist four times for 36 yards, and hit hit Braden Gibson three times for 49.
Elliot Toth had six carries for 51 yards.
Below are updates from the Class 2A state semifinal game:
FINAL: Wilmington 41, El Paso-Gridley 0
End of 3rd Quarter
Both teams started working in their backups as the third quarter progressed, and with a running clock in play the period went by quickly and scoreless.
Still 41-0 Wilmington.
Running clock
Second half is under way now, with a running clock.
HALFTIME: Wilmington 41, El Paso-Gridley 0
Kettman gets another
All-State running back Ryan Kettman dips around the left edge for a 25-yard TD run and 41-0 lead with 1:42 left in the first half.
Wilmington 34, El Paso-Gridley 0
Senior running back Nate Cupples burst up the middle for a 22-yard touchdown run and 34-0 lead with 6:10 left in the half.
Ground and pound
First possession of the second quarter for Titans ends in interception. Wilmington turns that into a 27-0 lead on a 36-yard TD run from Hunter Kaitschuck with 10:18 left in the half.
Hat trick for Wildcats
Wilmington with another fourth-down stop of El Paso-Gridley and again turns around and drives the other way for a touchdown to extend the lead.
All-State running back Ryan Kettman does the honors on a 38-yard TD run for 20-0 lead with 51 seconds left in the quarter.
Wilmington with one-play drive
Wilmington’s second possession was just one play, a 61-yard TD run by Kaitschuck to a 14-0 lead with 3:10 left in the first quarter.
Wilmington strikes first
El Paso Gridley game-opening drive ends at Wilmington 14.
Wilmington turns around and marches it 89 yards on nine plays, all runs, to take a 7-0 lead on a 12-yard TD run from Hunter Kaitschuck with 4:49 left in the first quarter.
Watch IHSA football games on NFHS Network all season
El Paso-Gridley-Wilmington score updates
IHSA playoff tickets: Where to go to find tickets online
The online provider GoFan is selling digital tickets for IHSA semifinal games. You can click this link to see all the IHSA games available via GoFan, which charges $10.45 for semifinal tickets, including fee. On site, tickets are $11.
Illinois weather radar: IHSA football forecast
Temperatures at kickoff in Wilmington, Illinois, will be in the mid-40s and stay there most of the evening. It will be partly cloudy with precipitation expected.
Illinois high school football schedule today
The IHSA football playoff quarterfinals kick off Saturday across the state. The full schedule is here.
IHSA scores from quarterfinals of Illinois high school football playoffs
Watch IHSA playoff football games on NFHS Network
You can stream multiple Illinois high school football playoff games at the NFHS Network. Most of the IHSA playoff games are available for a subscription fee. El Paso-Wilmington can be found here.
Watch IHSA football games on NFHS Network all season
(This story has been updated to add pictures, video and additional information)
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: El Paso-Gridley vs. Wilmington recap: Titans fall to Wilmington in Class 2A football semis
Reporting by Dave Eminian, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
