It was Oct. 25, 2024. Providence Catholic walked off its home field after suffering a close loss to arch rival Joliet Catholic. Had the Celtics won, they would have had five wins and a strong shot at the postseason. Instead, Providence stayed home a year after advancing to the state semifinals.

On Saturday, about 13 months after that agonizing defeat, Providence lingered on its home field a little longer to soak it all in. The Celtics were 31-21 victors over Oak Forest in the Class 5A state semifinals and locked their spot in the state championship game.

On one hand, people probably shouldn’t be that surprised. Last year was more of a historical anomaly for the Celtics. They made the semifinals in 2023, lost in the championship game in 2022, and this century they have more state title

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