It’s hard not to look at the Class 6A bracket and start envisioning a potential championship game between East St. Louis and Nazareth.

That’s not to discount the other hopefuls in the field. It is just that past history seems to indicate that these two programs are almost predestined to play on Thanksgiving weekend.

East St. Louis has played in the last five 6A state championship games, winning three, while Nazareth has won the last three state championships in 5A before the IHSA success formula pushed the Roadrunners up a classification to 6A.

First-round matchups

Nazareth vs. Hononegah: Nazareth has had to struggle just to qualify for the postseason in its loaded schedule in years past so it is probably a concerning sign to the rest of the 6A field the ease in which the Roadrunne

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