With his Kankakee football team on the ropes during its Class 5A second-round playoff game against Providence, Cedric Terrell III willed the Kays back from an early three-score deficit to make it just a three-point game by halftime with brilliant plays on offense, defense and special teams.

But anytime the Kays appeared poised to take a second-half lead, the Celtics defense had an answer. Their bruising ground game was able to find the end zone once more in the closing moments to give Providence a 35-25 win and send the Celtics to the quarterfinals for the 24th time in program history.

“I think it took all of us. We had to play Providence football from start to finish,” said Providence sophomore running back Brayden McKay, whose 12-yard touchdown with 4:14 remaining provided the Celtics’ insurance. “At the start, we weren’t playing our brand of football – the first quarter we were, but the second quarter we weren’t. Then we came out at halftime and I think we got right back on track, and that’s how we won this game."

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Providence Catholic's Bryaden McKay carries the ball on a play as Kankakee's Kendrick Crite, right, attempts to tackle in a Class 5A playoff game on Saturday, November 8, 2025. (Nicholas Holstein for Shaw Local)

The Kays (7-4) got on the board first on Elijah Cunningham’s 32-yard field goal, but the Celtics quickly took control. Broden Mackert scored the first of his three first-half touchdowns on the ensuing drive, a 3-yard scamper, to put the Celtics (8-3) ahead for a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.

Dominic Vita’s 8-yard touchdown pass to DeAngelo Coates in the closing seconds of the first quarter precluded another Mackert score, this time a 59-yard explosion, that made it a 21-3 Providence lead two minutes into the second quarter.

The Kays found some life when Terrell III, a wide receiver who moved to quarterback after Phillip Turner’s Week 9 injury, connected with Ezekiel Sherrod on a 32-yard score to cut the deficit to 21-10 just over a minute later.

The Celtics promptly responded, as after a Kankakee penalty after a missed field goal attempt brought their offense back out for a 4th-and-goal from the 2-yard line, where Mackert barreled in to again put the Celtics up three scores at 28-10 midway through the frame.

But Terrell III returned the ensuing kickoff 89 yards for a touchdown. On the next Providence drive, Terrell III picked Vita off and made a slew of would-be tacklers miss for a 52-yard pick six, as well as the 2-point conversion to make it just a 28-25 game at the half.

Kays coach Ed Hazelett has seen his senior star have plenty of performances like Saturday, but was left nearly speechless at Terrell III’s efforts.

“That kid, man,” Hazelett said. “He put this team on his back all year, keeping us in the game and he was just our captain all year.”

Jyheir Sutton forced a Providence fumble on the first drive of the second half, one that Isaiah Robinson scooped up to give the Kays excellent field position at the Providence 39.

But, like the two drives before it and another that would follow, the Kays saw their four possessions that began in plus territory yield a combined zero points thanks to a stingy Providence defense that forced a turnover on downs, blocked a field goal, forced a punt and saw Anthony Iaquinta record his second interception of the game on Kankakee’s four second-half offensive possessions.

“The defensive line was just outstanding,” Providence coach Tyler Plantz said. “They’ve been playing out of their skin the last couple of weeks. The linebackers were locking in on the plan and able to attack. Really proud of how they stuck with the plan and were able to attack, really, really proud of how they executed, continued to rally to the ball and did their job. They kept lifting up their teammates on the sidelines, telling the offense they believed in them, and I’m really proud of that.”

McKay had a game-high 118 rushing yards – 115 of them in the second half – and a touchdown on 16 carries. Mackert turned 10 carries into 71 yards and a hat trick while Vita was 10-of-15 passing for 145 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions to go along with 10 rushes for 47 yards. Declan Dircks and Collin Shedwill each had a pair of tackles for loss the defense as the Celtics will now turn their attention to hosting Washington in next weekend’s quarterfinal round.

“We just need to keep working our butts off as usual, keep ours heads on and keep working,” Vita said.

In Hazelett’s first season leading the program, the Kays rallied back from an 0-2 start to make their sixth straight playoff appearance, a school record.

Terrell III was 10-of-25 for 157 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Sherrod caught seven passes for 87 yards and a score. Dominic White joined Terrell III with an interception each while KJ Crite and Jyheir Sutton each had sacks. Sutton, Amari Davis and Camron Johnson each had two tackles for loss.