The 2025 season was a rough one for the Washington High School football team when it came to games against the CCL/ESCC.

The Panthers opened the season with a 13-12 loss to Niles Notre Dame before running the table in the Mid-Illini Conference to earn a top seed in its half of the IHSA Class 5A playoff bracket. Washington then brought its 10-1 record and its 26.8 point differential to New Lenox on Saturday to face No. 5 seed Providence , from the CCL/ESCC Orange.

And the Celtics thumped Washington 39-6 to advance to face the winner of Saturday’s Oak Forest-Peoria High quarterfinal for a chance to play in the IHSA 5A state championship game at Hancock Stadium on the campus of the University of Illinois.

“The O-line did a great job up front, (sophomore quarterback) Dominic Vita, it was

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