It’s finally here. The game that area high school football fans had earmarked since the season began. Byron versus Immaculate Conception Catholic Prep of Elmhurst at 2 p.m. Saturday.

Both teams know what is at stake. It was four years ago that the Tigers stunned ICC with a 15-14 comeback win on their way to the Class 3A state title. Sandwiched around that was a 7-0 win by ICC in 2017 and a 35-0 victory in 2022.

Coming from the rugged Chicago Catholic League, the Knights have won four state titles under coach Bill Krefft and are 28-2 against public schools in the playoffs. Other than Byron, the only other public school to hang a loss on them was Richmond Burton, which could be waiting in the semifinal for the winner.

Under Jeff Boyer, Byron is a public school rarity in that it has a winning playoff record (5-4) against the privates. In winning six state titles, Mike Lalor of Stillman Valley has a 9-7 record against them.

As much as many of us complain about the competitive disparity between public and privates, we sure have been treated to some scintillating games with Byron and Stillman Valley against the “evil empire.” There will be drama played out Saturday at Byron, just like there was last year in Lombard.

Realizing my limitations as a football evaluator, I cannot offer any predictions, especially with such different styles of ball and no common opponents.

Here’s what I do know watching numerous area schools against the Chicago suburbs. There is a more disciplined brand of football around here. Because of the wide swath of population, there is more athleticism, speed and skill around Chicago.

Coaching is coaching. Both Byron and ICC have great staffs. There’s even former NFL players coaching on each team with Sean Considine and Matt Bowen. Both have sons who should play pivotal roles.

Senior Caden Considine will be the biggest star on the field and the one most capable of being a game changer. As a freshman, it was a long run against Reed Custer that turned the tide in a game that was getting away from the Tigers early on.

Two years ago, he stymied a potential Montini game-winning drive with an interception. Against the proficient passing game of ICC, that kind of defense will be needed.

It is critical for Byron to play smart – it has a history of doing so – and exert its physical presence. Another huge asset is an experienced quarterback in Andrew Talbert, who might be as shifty as anyone ICC has seen. It also may take awhile for ICC to become accustomed to the running game Byron employs.

Make no mistake about it. ICC is very talented and hungry to win a state title after missing the playoffs last year. After playing much larger schools, it won’t be fazed one bit about coming into Byron as most other schools are.

After being on the state cross country beat last weekend, I excitedly look forward to being in Byron to cover this game on what looks like a beautiful November day.

With Rochelle out of the playoffs, I volunteered to cover Dixon’s quest to win the Class 2A cross country state title. After a disappointing 49-42 loss by the Dukes football team to Coal City the night before, the runners brought the state championship trophy home accompanied by a police and fire escort.

The sport of cross country is so cool with everyone cheering everyone else on. Thousands of fans line iconic Detweiler Park in Peoria all day for six separate races for 1A/2A/3A boys and girls.

It is a sight to behold with an announcer in the lead truck giving play-by-play the entire race as cross country is one of the hardest spectator sports to watch in person. School colors from every corner of Illinois are present and such a cheerful gathering of such diverse areas gives one hope for our future.

I had a personal stake in it having made close friends with Evan Thorpe of Dixon when he first started coaching wrestling there 25 years ago. Eventually, he transitioned to cross country, taking some of his wrestling concepts with him and winning a state title.

This year, his son Simon was the coach, making the pair the only father-son duo to win cross country titles. As a son of a coach myself, it had special significance knowing what it meant to their family and the tears of joy that were shed.

Getting back to the Dixon football game with Coal City. With so many twists and turns, that was high school playoff action at its most entertaining.

Consider this: Coal City, which is in 4A, lost by 23 points to Wilmington, which is 2A. Wilmington’s only loss was 27-20 to one of the 4A title favorites, Morris.

Wilmington was one spot away from being in 3A, which would have made that northern bracket even more brutal. As the largest school in 2A, it is a huge favorite to win a third state title in five years.

I was watching a few state playoff games online and saw something I’ve never seen. One of the best teams in the country, East St. Louis, had 19 penalties in the first half against Chatham Glenwood. It still romped to a large win, but how undisciplined do you have to be for that many penalties?

Polo gets to make a road trip to South Fork High School in Kincaid, a bit southeast of Springfield. It’s neat the kids and fans get to travel 200 miles to see a different area and team. Amboy and Milledgeville, meanwhile, are locked into a familiar rematch in the other 8-man semifinal.

Did you know that Kincaid is the birthplace of a Chicago Cubs catcher from the 1950s, Harry Chiti?

• Andy Colbert is a sports writer for Shaw Local covering high school sports in Ogle County.