Over the past seven years, Amboy-LaMoille-Ohio and Polo have had the two winningest programs in the Illinois 8-Man Football Association.

This Friday, one team can make some history in the state title game at Monmouth College.

With a win, either the Clippers or Marcos will become the first three-time I8FA state champion. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at April Zorn Memorial Stadium.

Amboy (11-1) is going for a three-peat, while Polo (11-1) won it all in 2019 and 2021. The Marcos have reached the semifinals the past six seasons. Amboy is playing in its fourth straight title game.

The only time Amboy played Polo in the playoffs resulted in a 40-6 win in the semifinals in 2023. The Clippers went on to finish 13-0 and earn their first championship. Amboy is 15-2 under Scott Payne in the 8-Man playoffs the last five years; Polo is 16-3 the last six years.

Polo shut out South Fork 38-0 in the semifinals, and Amboy beat Milledgeville 18-8 in a rematch of last year’s title game.

While the defending champions remain the team to beat, Polo has been on a hot streak since losing 28-6 to Milledgeville more than two months ago.

“It’s exciting,” Polo coach Ted Alston said. “Our kids are excited. This was our goal the whole season, to get to Monmouth. [Amboy] is a team that we are very familiar with. We play them in pretty much every sport. Obviously not this year in football, but we know a lot about each other and know the coaching staff really well.

“We’re all pretty good friends with those guys. It’s going to be exciting, and it’s going to be a cool experience for everyone.”

Each squad had three players named to the all-state team. Amboy senior DB/TE Cody Winn and junior OL/DL Trevor Stenzel were named all-state, while junior DL/TE Evan Flanagan was honorable mention.

Polo’s junior RB/DB Mercer Mumford and senior TE/DL Damon Rowe were named all-state, while senior OL/DL Wyatt Plachno was honorable mention.

Both teams can play defense and have big performances in the run game.

Jose Lopez led Amboy with 205 yards rushing and three touchdowns against Milledgeville. Mumford ran for 197 yards and two scores on Nov. 13.

“The job’s not finished,” Lopez said. “We’ve got to go put in one more week of work and hopefully the result is what we want.”

“It’s going to be a fun game,” Mumford said. “We know they’re good, really good. ... We’re trying to stop that streak of a three-peat, and we know that’s going to be a really tough game.”

While Amboy lost some key pieces to graduation last season, there are Clippers who know what it’s like to reach the last game of the season.

“A lot of these guys were on the team the last two years, so they know what to expect when we get down there. It won’t be a surprise for them,” Amboy coach Scott Payne said. “Like I said at the beginning of the year to these guys, ‘Make your own mark on this program. Don’t try to live off last year; you guys are your own team, you have your own identity,’ and that’s what they did. It’s a testament to these kids and how hard they’ve worked to get back down there.”

It’s Polo’s first time reaching the championship since winning it all in 2021.

“None of these guys on this team have ever played in the state championship game,” Mumford said. “It obviously feels great that we can get over that hump of the semifinal victory that we couldn’t in the last couple years.”

• Ty Reynolds contributed to this report