After a hard-fought playoff series, the Benet Redwings football season came to a close with a 20-0 loss in the state-semifinals against the East St. Louis Flyers, the eventual Class 7A champions. The Redwings kept it close with a solid defensive performance, only trailing 8-0 at halftime; however, the raw talent of the Flyers was just too much to handle. Although they came up short, Benet’s squad has plenty to be proud of this year.

Coming into the IHSA Class 7A tournament as the 11th seed, the Redwings weren’t expected to make it past the second round. Despite that, they defied the odds and charged their way into the semis. They were only the higher seed in one of the four games that they played, so they played each game with a chip on their shoulder.

The Redwings will be losing many key players to graduation. Senior leaders such as Jack Sznajder, Marty Dosen, Ryan Lizska and Alec McEachern will not be on next year’s roster. However, if this year was any indication, the Redwings will continue to defy the odds.