Week 1 recap: Postponements, dramatic rallies lead opening week of IHSA football season

We had dramatic finishes — and some games left unfinished in Week 1 of the Illinois high school football season.

Here is the Journal Star preps experience for Week 1, your one-stop shop as we look around the Peoria-area football landscape this weekend:

Looking for the Week 1 scoreboard? You can find that here.

Who's gonna win? Predictions are here.

11:21 p.m. — Schedule altered by storms

Games involving Limestone, Farmington and Tremont were postponed to Saturday after thunderstorms swept through parts of Illinois on Friday night.

Limestone will continue its game against Mount Zion at 6 p.m. Saturday. The Rockets trail 21-0 in the first quarter. Farmington leads Illini West 16-0 at halftime. That game is set to restart at 1 p.m. Saturday. Tremont's game against Clinton never got started and will be played on Saturday afternoon.

10:49 p.m. — Metamora pulls off upset to open season

Metamora defeated Class 5A No. 8 Sterling 28-17 on the new turf field at Malone Field. According to Metamora statistician Alex Staab, this is the Redbirds' first win over a state-ranked team in 2,484 days — a 2016 playoff victory over No. 2 Highland.

10:40 p.m. — Morton victory ends in confusion

Morton rallied for a 20-14 victory over Mahomet-Seymour, but not without confusion.

Morton ended Mahomet's final drive with an interception in the endzone and took over at the 20 after a touchback. In attempting to kill the clock, Morton eventually kneeled on fourth down on the 15 with 3 seconds remaining. Mahomet contended they should have the ball there with time remaining.

Morton coach Adam O’Neill later said the officials "might have given Mahomet-Seymour an extra timeout in the final seconds." O'Neill says the officials didn’t wind the clock correctly, and Morton should not have had to kneel on fourth down at all — the clock should have expired without snap. Officials agreed and the game was ruled over.

10:14 p.m. — El Paso-Gridley postponed

The game between El Paso-Gridley and Macon Meridian was postponed with seven minutes remaining in the second quarter because of thunderstorms, according to an email from the school. The game will be completed at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Macon. EP-G leads 15-0.

10:02 p.m. — Washington rallies for dramatic win

Kainon McQueary scored on a 35-yard touchdown run to give Washington a 33-27 victory at Maple Park Kaneland. McQueary took an inside draw, shook two defenders and scampered to the house for the game-winner with 50.2 seconds remaining.

Kaneland got to near midfield before the Panthers (1-0) iced the game with an interception.

9:40 p.m. — Play resumes in Metamora

The lightning delay has ended at Malone Field in Metamora, according to Alex Staab. The Redbirds trail Sterling 17-14 to start the third quarter, and the game will restart in moments.

9:29 p.m. — Peoria High gets on the board

Peoria High avoided a shutout in the game of the week when running back Maliek Ross scored from 1 yard out in the third quarter. The Lions added another score and Rochester eventually won the game, 40-14.

The late score certainly begged the question: When was the last time high-octane Peoria High was shut out?

The answer: Chicago Simeon defeated Peoria High 34-0 in the second game of the 2012 season — back when the Lions were still in the Mid-State 6.

8:58 p.m. — Lightning delay in Metamora

The game between Metamora and Sterling has been delayed by lighting, according to Alex Staab. Sterling leads the Redbirds 17-14 at halftime.

The rain is also beginning to fall in Morton, according to our reporter there Dave Eminian.

8:53 p.m. — Morton makes big tackle

Morton heads into the locker room trailing Mahomet-Seymour only 7-6. That slim deficit is only one point thanks to a touchdown-saving tackle late in the second quarter.

Morton was driving and on a screen pass was pressured into an interception by the M-S linebacker. Luckily, running back Brett Michel — who scored Morton's only TD so far — regrouped immediately and took off downfield to eventually make the tackle.

8:41 p.m. — Metamora going toe-to-toe with state-ranked Sterling

Metamora debuted its new turf on Friday — and is playing pretty well on it.

Redbirds, who received votes in the first Associated Press state poll, is locked in a back-and-forth with No. 8 Sterling and its coach Jon Schlemmer — a former Metamora player.

Sterling jumped ahead just before halftime of a game Metamora has led most of the way.

8:15 p.m. — Rochester controlling the Lions

In our game of the night, Rochester — the No. 2 team in Class 4A — is in control against Class 5A No. 2 Peoria High. The Rockets have raced to a 26-0 lead in the middle of the second quarter.

We know the Lions can score in bunches — but so can Rochester.

7:15 p.m. — First score of the night!

We have our first Peoria-area varsity football score of 2023: Deer Creek-Mackinaw 54, Chicago Academy 13.

As most games across central Illinois are kicking off, the Chiefs move to 1-0 this early because the two teams played a 4 p.m. game in Chicago.

Coach Cody Myers and the Chiefs got up to Chicagoland early on Friday and went through a walkthrough on the unique black turf at Bolingbrook High School.

Game of the week: Rochester vs. Peoria High

The gorgeous turf at Peoria Stadium will get a workout Friday night as the No. 2 teams in Class 4A and 5A hit the field in what is expected to be a high-scoring shootout between two of the state's premier programs.

You can read about the full turf project by tapping here.

Peoria High also will debut its new jerseys and helmet stickers. The Lions are going with a retro look, with block "PEORIA" on the front above serif block numbers, plus horizontal stripes on the sleeves. They will sport matte maroon helmets with a while lions logo and the same striping down the middle. Give a look below:

Metamora has a new look, too

Metamora unveils its new turf football surface at Malone Field when the Redbirds open the 2023 season against Sterling on Friday night. The yard lines are finished, the end zones are built, the logo is sewn in.

Below is a video sneak peek of new Malone Field courtesy Travis Nickel, whose son, Cameron, is a starting linebacker for Metamora.

The IHSA is looking for your highlights

The Illinois High School Association will again compile the top plays of each week this football season. It's looking for fans, players or coaches to submit video to FridayNight5@ihsa.org or via social media with the hashtag #FridayNight5.

Each Tuesday starting Aug. 29, the IHSA will release the top five plays, culminating with the "Undeniably Dairy Play of the Week." The school with the top play each week will receive a $250 gift certificate from Dick’s Sporting Goods for their football program.

If you witness an amazing play at a game but don’t have the video, you can provide specifics and the IHSA will attempt to track down video of the play.

Show off

Hey, and if you send a play the way of the IHSA — send it our way, too. We want to see your highlights or pictures here! Send your videos and photos to sports@pjstar.com or tag us on X.com at @pjstarsports.

Kickoff 2023: Peoria high school football preview coverage

Dig into the Journal Star's preview coverage of the 2023 season. We have top players, returning coaches and much, much more. Find nearly 25 stories right here.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: IHSA football recap: Week 1 high school scores in Peoria area